Brazil prison riot leaves 15 dead

Published: May 27, 2019 10:21:48 | Updated: May 30, 2019 10:56:29

Relatives argue with police for more information outside the Anisio Jobim Prison Complex where a deadly riot erupted among inmates in Manaus in the northern state of Amazonas, Brazil, Sunday, May 26, 2019 - AP Photo/Edmar Barros

A riot between inmates in a prison in Brazilian state of Amazonas ended with 15 dead on Sunday, according to a statement of the state secretariat for prisons.

Inmates at the Amazonas jail were choked to death or stabbed with toothbrushes, Colonel Marcos Vinicius Almeida, head of the state’s jails, said in the statement.

The riot began during visiting hours. There were no hostages and violence was directed between inmates, Reuters reported quoting Almeida.

The jail was the scene of an inmate uprising that ended with 56 dead in 2017.

The government will investigate the cause of the riot, the statement said.