Two inmates killed in prison riot in southeast Brazil
Two inmates have been killed in a riot that broke out in an overcrowded jail in southeastern Brazil, authorities say.
The unrest erupted on Sunday after police opened fire on reportedly armed prisoners in Governador Valadares city.
Police said some of the inmates were holding fellow prisoners hostage on the roof of the penitentiary facility.
Inmates also set fire to mattresses, causing a blaze in the prison, social defense secretary, Bernardo Santana, told media.
Gruesome images from TV stations across the country showed prisoners with uniforms wrapped around their faces, holding a knife on a man's neck and then throwing him about 20 feet from the roof to the ground.
The prison is supposed to house only 290 people, but there were more than 820 inmates.
The issue of Brazil’s overcrowded jails has in the past triggered international condemnation.
According to Amnesty International, Brazil’s overcrowded jails hold about 563,000 prisoners nationwide.
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