UN mission says 147 killed in Tunisia uprising

[February 01, 2011]  TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) -- The head of a United Nations mission investigating the uprising that toppled Tunisia's longtime president last month says 147 people were killed and another 510 injured in the unrest.

Bakr N'diaye, who heads the mission sent by the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, says the death toll does not include 72 people who died in prison riots. The interim government formed after President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali fled the country on Jan 14 has said about 78 people lost their lives in the violence. But opposition members have insisted the death toll was much higher. N'diaye was speaking Tuesday at a news conference in the capital, Tunis. His mission was wrapping up a weeklong mission to the North African country. [Associated Press] Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.