Bleary-eyed Brazilian negotiators attempted early yesterday to end an unprecedented, 18-hour siege at a string of prisons across the state of Sao Paulo that has left 11 inmates dead and up to 1,500 people hostage.
The uprising, allegedly led by a highly-organized gang of inmates who call themselves the First Commando of the Capital (PCC), began at lunchtime on Sunday, trapping visiting relatives within the prisons as inmates took over a startling 27 compounds.
By 9am some 10,000 inmates continued to control 11 compounds, including Latin America's biggest prison of Carandiru -- where police massacred 111 inmates after a failed uprising in 1992.
Shock troops, armed with shotguns and revolvers, awaited instructions outside prisons across the state of Sao Paulo in what relatives of the inmates fear could be a prelude to a police invasion of prisons like Carandiru.
Tensions are so high that many of the family members who were taken hostage are refusing to leave for fear of a fresh inmate massacre.
"Nobody wants to leave, especially once we heard that shock troops were outside," said one hostage, a woman in her mid-40s who along with five others trickled out of Carandiru early yesterday. In all there originally were 7,400 people hostages.
Severe overcrowding, alleged torture of inmates by guards and scarce funds for basic health provisions often lead to inmate uprisings in Brazil, making them almost a common occurrence.
But the size and scale of this uprising has alarmed Brazil's government and the public, and illustrated the level of sophistication of the prisoner gang, the PCC.
Using cellular telephones and believed to hold an arsenal of weapons, the PCC has proven itself to be a powerful force across Sao Paulo state's lawless penitentiary system. Prisons in the state house some 94,000 prisoners.
"This synchronized explosion is an event without precedents in Brazil," said Justice Minister Jose Gregori. "It is serious, but authorities are reacting sensibly, resolving the situation without resorting to violence."
According to state security forces, some 11 inmates have been killed across Sao Paulo state since the uprising began on Sunday. Some speculate they may be part of a purge that began last week with the murder of five inmates that resulted in the transfer of 10 PCC leaders from Carandiru.
But one excited hostage -- whose husband is an inmate at Carandiru -- accused police of executing prisoners on Sunday afternoon.
State officials firmly deny any hostile actions have been taken against prisoners.
"I was there visiting cellblock four and I saw police shooting three prisoners in the back," said Clara Maria Martins Kalil, who said she was a lawyer. In her hand, Kalil held the bullet casing she said was on the ground where the prisoners had been shot.
"I am taking it to be analyzed," she added.
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