CARACAS, Venezuela, Mar 2: Inmates at a crowded jail in northern Venezuela attatked dozens of convicts sent from another prison on Monday. Authorities said a} least 11 inmates were stabbed to death, reports AP.

Police and National Guard units arrived at Tocoron Jail to quell the riot, which started Monday morning. The jail is on ihc outskirts of Maracay. about 50 kilometers (30 miles) west of Caracas, the capital.

The violence began as dozens of prisoners arrived from Catia Jail in Caracas, which is scheduled to close by year's end. Other prisoners have refused to accept the inmates unUi their facilities are expanded and renovated.

Tocoron Jail, which was 'built for 2,500 inmates, houses more than 6,000, said Maracay police Sgt Rubio Quintero.

The protest Monday was the worst violence at a Venezuelan Jail since a riot at Catia on November 27. the same day as an attempted military coup.