At least 57 inmates dead, with 16 beheaded, in grisly Brazil prison riot
- Violence erupted as rival gangs battled, taking two guards hostage
- Incident follows prison attack in May, when at least 55 inmates were killed
A bloody clash between two prison gangs on Monday left at least 57 inmates dead, 16 of them decapitated, in the northern Brazilian state of Para, the latest deadly prison clash this year as the nation’s far-right government struggles to control the country’s jails.
State authorities said the riot began around 7am in a prison in the city of Altamira and involved rival gangs.
Prisoners belonging to the Comando Classe A gang set fire to a cell containing inmates who belonged to the Comando Vermelho, or Red Command, gang, Para’s state government said in a statement. Two guards were taken hostage but later released.
“It was a targeted act,” state prison director Jarbas Vasconcelos said in the statement, adding there was no prior intelligence that suggested an attack would take place. “The aim was to show that it was a settling of accounts between the two gangs.”
Videos circulating online showed inmates celebrating as they kicked decapitated heads across the floor. Reuters was unable to independently verify the footage.
Elected on a tough-on-crime message, far-right President Jair Bolsonaro has benefited from a sharp drop in homicides this year. Nonetheless, endemic prison violence serves as a reminder of the continuing public security challenges he faces in one of the world’s most violent countries.
