Prison Fire in Honduras Leaves Over 350 Dead: Powerful Pictures of Dramatic Rescue [Photos]

Desperate inmates screamed for their lives as a fire swept through a Honduras prison. Over 350 inmates lost their lives while 56 inmates have not been located, as officials fear the death will rise.

The fire broke out late Tuesday night in Comayagua, a town 90 miles north of Tegucigalpa, the capital city of Honduras.

We couldn't get them out because we didn't have the keys and couldn't find the guards who had them, Comayagua fire department spokesman Josue Garcia told reporters in a press conference, according to the Associated Press. Garcia told reported he saw horrific scenes are rescue workers attempted to quell the rising flames.

Relatives of inmates flocked to the gates of the prison on Wednesday morning in an attempt to find out what happened. Police fired tear gas into angry crowds in an attempt to drive them back, reported the Associated Press.

Officials are still investigating the cause of the fire, whether it was started by rioting prisoners or an electrical short-cicuit, but Honduran President Lobo promised full and transparent investigation into the lamentable and unacceptable tragedy, according to BBC.

Prisoners reportedly called for help, while trapped in their cells.

For a while, nobody listened. But after a few minutes, which seemed like an eternity, a guard appeared with keys and let us out, said prisoner Silveriao Aguilar

Another prisoner told reporters he heard the screams of prisoners on fire.

The only thing that we were able to do was start breaking the roof apart so we could go out from above. We started ripping apart the ceiling above us.

Lucy Marder, who heads the forensic services in Comayagua believes it could take three months to identify all of the bodies, as the death toll continues to climb