Riot policemen do a head count of inmates during an uprising at Alcacuz prison in Natal
Brazilian authorities say more than 150 prisoners have escaped a so-called semi-open prison during a riot, and more than 60 remain at large.
Inmates set fire to one of the cellblocks before escaping from the Penitentiary Progression Center, a semi-open prison in the town of Bauru, northwest of Sao Paulo, the national prisons authority said.
The revolt broke out in protest after a prison guard confiscated a mobile phone from an inmate, it said.
“The prisoners started a commotion and some took advantage of it to flee,” a source in the prisons authority said. Inmates set fire to the roof of the cellblock but firefighters soon put out the blaze, the source said.
During the melee, 152 inmates escaped. Military police recaptured 90 of them and were looking for the rest.
The penitentiary department says in a statement that the situation has been brought under control.
At Brazil’s “semi-open” prisons, inmates are allowed to leave for work and family visits. The country has seen a spate of violence at its higher-security lockups this year, with more than 120 people killed.
Join GhanaStar.com to receive daily email alerts of breaking news in Ghana. GhanaStar.com is your source for all Ghana News. Get the latest Ghana news, breaking news, sports, politics, entertainment and more about Ghana, Africa and beyond.