Brazilian inmates take hostages in jail riot



PARANA: -- Rioting prisoners in a Brazilian jail which houses sexual offenders have taken at least 10 people hostage.

Inmates at the Londrina State Penitentiary Unit ll are said to have armed themselves with knives and sticks.

They then took their hostages, who are said to be other inmates, up to the roof where they threatened to throw them off.

The rioting inmates at the prison in the southern state of Parana broke windows and set fires in the overcrowded prison as police and family members gathered outside.

Prison riots are not uncommon in Brazil where many of the country’s prisons are drastically overcrowded and inmates complain of poor living conditions.

The Londrina State Penitentiary Unit II, which is designed to house 928 inmates, reportedly has 1,140 prisoners currently.

So far there are no reports of any hostages having been thrown from the roof.

-- (c) Copyright Euronews 2015-10-07

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