Dubai - Fourteen prisoners suffocated to death in police cells in the Gulf emirate of Dubai in a failed attempt by drug addicts to break out of jail by starting a fire, a police spokesman said yesterday.
"This tragic crime was carried out (on Monday) by repeat drug offenders who wanted to take advantage of the confusion to escape," the spokesman said.
"Several policemen, including the police station chief, were bruised or cut during the riots that accompanied the evacuation of the cells," he said.