Reuters AlertNet Lite - Guard, prisoner killed in Brazil prison riot

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Guard, prisoner killed in Brazil prison riot

20 Dec 2006 14:30:45 GMT
Source: Reuters

RIO DE JANEIRO, Dec 20 (Reuters) - A prison guard and an inmate were killed in a Brazilian prison riot which ended on Wednesday when inmates released hostages and surrendered guns after nearly 24 hours of tense negotiations, police said.

Another guard was in hospital in serious condition with bullet wounds and a prisoner was badly injured after being thrown from a window by fellow inmates. Several prisoners were also wounded, a police spokesman in the southern Parana state said.

The state public security department said the prison in the Foz do Iguacu city on the border with Paraguay and Argentina housed around 800 inmates while it was built for 350.

Brazil is notorious for its overcrowded prisons awash with weapons, and prison rioting and escape attempts are common, especially in the Christmas and New Year holiday period.

The riot started on Tuesday in the infirmary unit when a group of prisoners pretending to be sick overpowered the guards and attempted to escape.

The inmates, some armed with guns and knives, destroyed some cells and other facilities in the prison. Police stormed the prison but the ringleaders locked themselves in a cell block with hostages, including a guard who spent many hours with a gun pressed to his head.

Police said the only clear demand made by the inmates was no retaliation for the riot. They declined to say whether the demand was met.

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Last updated:Wed Dec 20 14:33:24 2006