quote [ Seven inmates are dead and 17 injured after fighting at the Lee Correctional Institution, a maximum security prison in Bishopville, S.C., authorities said.

Clashes among inmates at Lee Correctional Institution here erupted about 7:15 p.m. Sunday, state Corrections Department chief Bryan Stirling said at a news conference. The fighting spread to three housing units, but no officers were wounded, he said.

Stirling defended the length of time it took to put down the disturbance, saying law enforcement officers had to muster at the housing units one at a time, retaking control and placing inmates back in the cells. Such efforts routinely can take 90 minutes for just one dorm, he said. ]