At least two prison inmates were killed and between 100 and 150 inmates and corrections officers were injured late Wednesday after a gas explosion at a Florida jail. The cause of the explosion was not immediately clear. Castro didn't know if flooding in the area was a factor but says the jail did get extensive flooding during heavy rains that drenched the region Tuesday and Wednesday. Two nearby hospitals confirmed to WALA that they had admitted a total of 81 patients, none of whom had life-threatening injuries.
Family members of inmates and officers gathered outside the jail, claiming authorities were slow to provide them with information about their loved ones.
"Where is our family members? We don’t know if they dead or alive," family member Eva Stewart told WALA-TV. "It’s really frustrating. I can’t sleep not knowing if my child’s okay. I got other family members in there too, I don’t know if they’re okay."