CEOAFRICA.com gathered from El Salvador that six inmates were allegedly strangled to death in a prison.

According to the Police, the deceased inmates belonged to the Mara Salvatrucha gang, an international criminal group which is famous for series of crimes including extortion, racketeering and drug trafficking.

Confirming the incident, Prison Director, Irma Mejia, said the killing happened after the inmates had  celebrated Prisoners’ Day . The inmates called the guards telling them the six had been ill, but before the guards arrived, the victims were already dead.

The victims were serving sentences for crimes including extortion and murder.

Prison officials said they suspected their deaths had been ordered by gang leaders serving time in another prison.

They said it had been planned to coincide with Prisoners' Day festivities as the victims would have been drunk and therefore easier targets.

The mother of one of the victims, who was among the relatives attending the event, said it was not unusual for prisoners to drink.

"They always take alcoholic drinks, that's normal, but my son wasn't drunk, just the usual," she told the local press.

Extra police have been drafted in to patrol the jail in Tonacatepeque

El Salvador prisons are usually overcrowded and so prune to series of violence arising from various gangs.