Sixteen people were injured in a fight which erupted among the inmates of a prison in the southern Asir region, press reports said on Tuesday. Abdullah Al-Harbi, acting spokesman of prisons, said the fighting took place in Khamis Mushayt prison on Monday night, adding that it began with a verbal exchange.

Al-Harbi said nine prisoners, who sustained minor injuries, were taken to Khamis Mushayt General Hospital and have since been brought back to the jail after receiving treatment. Police have launched an investigation into the incident, the spokesman said.

Ahmed Aseeri, spokesman of the Saudi Red Crescent Authority, said his organization had received information about the disruption at 11:50 p.m. last night. “Seven first-aid teams were rushed to the facility soon after receiving the news,” Asseri said, adding that 16 inmates were injured in the fighting.

Red Crescent volunteers provided first-aid services to 7 inmates who had suffered minor injuries the official said. Meanwhile, the Makkah police have arrested two of five Saudi teenagers who vandalized the façade of a restaurant and damaged some of its furniture and facilities in Makkah’s Aziziya district, sabq.org reported on Monday.

Patrol police tracked down two of the culprits and are looking for the remaining three, the electronic newspaper said. Police have launched an investigation into the incident to determine the reason for the attack.