Photo of Marco Antonio Bonilla by Estbean Felix / AP

The screams haunt convicted murderer Marco Antonio Bonilla, even now as Honduras hails him a hero for saving hundreds of inmates from fire raging through their prison.

The 50-year-old Bonilla, who has a seemingly permanent frown on his face, described with difficulty his role in the Feb. 14 blaze at the Comayagua farm prison that killed 360 inmates, the worst such tragedy in a century. At times his voice cracked.

“They were yelling at me, ‘Shorty, Shorty, don’t let us die! Open the door!'” Bonilla, who is nicknamed Shorty, told The Associated Press in an interview inside the prison Wednesday. “It’s sad to hear your friends crying for help.”

Bonilla, who worked as an assistant to the prison’s doctor, had for years slept in the infirmary instead of the barracks so he could attend to overnight medical emergencies.

That may have saved him.

He awoke to the screams of prisoners asking for help. He ran outside and saw flames engulfing several barracks. He ran to a prison guard who had keys to the cells.

“I told him we needed to help them, to get them out so they wouldn’t die, but he just threw the keys to the ground and left,” Bonilla said. “I don’t think (the guards) wanted to risk getting burned.”

Continue ‘Screams haunt Honduran who freed inmates in fire’ here.