By Luisa Marquez

At least 300 prisoners have been killed after a massive fire swept through a jail in Honduras, officials say.

Many victims were burned or suffocated to death in their cells in Comayagua, north of the capital Tegucigalpa.

The officials say at least 300 are confirmed dead, but a further 56 inmates, out of the 853 in the prison, are missing and presumed dead.

Relatives of prisoners clashed with police as they tried to force their way into the prison, desperate for news.

Police responded by firing shots into the air and tear gas.

An inquiry is under way whether the blaze was caused by rioting or an electrical fault.

Honduran President Lobo pledged a full and transparent investigation into the lamentable and unacceptable tragedy.

He said local and national prison authorities would be suspended while the inquiry was conducted.

The fire broke out late on Tuesday night and took more than an hour to be brought under control.

Dozens of prisoners died trapped in their cells and were burned beyond recognition.

Comayagua firefighters' spokesman Josue Garcia said there were hellish scenes at the prison and that desperate inmates had rioted in a bid to escape the flames.

Lucy Marder, who heads the forensic services in Comayagua, said that 356 people on the prison roster were unaccounted for.

It was feared many inmates had fled the prison in Comayagua, about 100km (60 miles) north of the capital Tegucigalpa.

Amid the confusion, relatives gathered outside the prison to try to get information.

Local hospitals are treating dozens of people for burns and other injuries.

Authorities have yet to establish a cause of the fire

Some of the injured have been taken to Tegucigalpa for treatment, among them 30 people with severe burns.

Honduran media reported that there had been a riot in the prison before the fire broke out.

Prison service head Daniel Orellana denied this.