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1994 Sabaneta fire

UNSOLVED1994Sabaneta prison, Maracaibo, Venezuela3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026
Illustrative

On 3 January 1994, a fire broke out inside the Sabaneta prison in Maracaibo, Venezuela, killing at least 108 inmates. It remains the deadliest tragedy in Venezuela's prison history.

Investigators estimated that the fire was deliberately set with gasoline by one of two warring groups inside the prison, and a gang known as "Los Goajiros" was blamed for starting it. A report by Diario República cited an internal source who alleged that an inmate had been killed and his body desecrated the day before, echoing a similar event in December 1990. The same source claimed that this enraged fellow inmates, who then chained the prison's exit doors shut and set the fire during the night.

The fire exposed serious shortcomings in the Venezuelan penal system. In its aftermath, authorities took urgent measures, including the intervention of the Sabaneta prison and the initiation of criminal actions against prison guards.

Key facts

Victims
On file
Date
1994
Location
Sabaneta prison, Maracaibo, Venezuela
Case status
unsolved

Case timeline

  1. 1990-12

    An earlier, similar incident involving decapitation and mistreatment of a body reportedly occurred at the prison, according to an internal source cited by Diario República.

  2. 1994-01-02

    An inmate was allegedly decapitated inside the prison, with his head reportedly used in a game of soccer by other inmates, according to an internal source cited by Diario República.

  3. 1994-01-03

    A fire, allegedly set with gasoline amid conflict between two warring prison groups, broke out at the Sabaneta prison in Maracaibo, Venezuela, killing at least 108 inmates.

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People

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Places

Sabaneta prison, Maracaibo, Venezuela

10.6666, -71.6124

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Common questions

What happened to the victim?
A fire at the Sabaneta prison in Maracaibo, Venezuela, on 3 January 1994 killed at least 108 inmates, making it the deadliest disaster in the country's prison history.
Where did the crime happen?
Sabaneta prison, Maracaibo, Venezuela.
What is the current status of the case?
Status: unsolved.
More cases in Venezuela

Sources

  1. ENCYCLOPEDIC1994 Sabaneta fireWikipedia · 2026-07-10
  2. PRESSContemporaneous coverage — The Washington PostThe Washington Post · 2026-07-10
  3. PRESSContemporaneous coverage — elpais.comelpais.com · 2026-07-10

Record history

First published
JUL 11, 2026