Brazil Prisoners Beheaded In Riot At Natal Prison

Inmates have seized control of the largest prison
in the north-eastern Brazilian city of Natal.
Police say at least 10 prisoners have been killed at
the Alcacuz jail.
Many others are thought to have been killed in
fighting between rival gangs at the prison in Rio
Grande Do Norte state.
This is the third major riot in Brazil this year.
Nearly 100 inmates died in riots earlier this month
in prisons in the states of Amazonas and Roraima.
The violence inside Alcacuz jail began on Saturday
afternoon, when members of one of the powerful
criminal organisations present in most Brazilian
jails attacked rivals in a separate wing.
"We could see the heads ripped off'' three of the
killed prisoners, said Zemilton Silva, coordinator of
the prison system.
'Many have died'
Explosions and gunshots could be heard from
outside.
Major Wellington Camilo, commander of the Rio
Grande do Norte state prison system, said police
would wait until the morning to enter the
compound.
"Many people have died. But we simply cannot get
into the prison now," he said.
No prisoners had escaped, he added.
Dozens of relatives have gathered outside, waiting
for information.
Riots are not uncommon in Brazil's overcrowded
jails, which are largely controlled by powerful
criminal gangs.
But the scale of the violence this year has put
pressure on President Michel Temer to address
the problem.
After the Amazonas prison riot, the government
announced plans to build five more high security
jails and to create new intelligence units to try to
curb the power of the gangs behind bars.