At least 23 inmates have died in a fire at an Ethiopian prison where anti-government protesters are reportedly being held, the government has said. 

The BBC quoted a government statement Tuesday as saying 21 died of suffocation after a stampede while two others were killed as they tried to escape.

Some local media have disputed the account, citing unnamed witnesses who say prisoners were shot by the wardens.

There has been an unprecedented wave of protests in Ethiopia in recent months.

Source: MENA