At least 41 people died as a deadly riot broke out at a women's prison in Honduras, media reports said on Wednesday.

The apparent prison riot broke out Tuesay at the Centro Femenino de Adaptacion Social, a women’s penitentiary outside the capital city Tegucigalpa, and there are fears the death toll will rise, reports CNN.

Public Ministry spokesperson Yuri Mora told CNN death toll could increase as rescue teams continue to work, adding that some of the deaths were the result of burns while others had gunshot wounds.

The main assistance center in Tegucigalpa has received several injured people, he said

Delma Ordonez, a representative of the relatives of the inmates, told UNI/Xinhua that the riot broke out after authorities announced new rules for the prison, including banning and confiscating televisions and other devices.

According to local media, injured prisoners were transferred to a hospital in Tegucigalpa, as images of the burned corpses and other scenes of the bloody aftermath were already circulating on social media.

"We will not tolerate acts of vandalism, nor irregularities at this prison," Deputy Security Minister Julissa Villanueva said via Twitter at the start of the riot, as she declared an emergency and authorized the "immediate intervention" of the National Police and the military, as well as firefighters.

Authorities are expected to release an official death toll, along with the names of the deceased inmates, in the coming hours.