Inmates at a prison in southern Brazil on Monday took seven prison staff hostage during the latest in a series of mutinies at penitentiaries in recent months, Brazilian media reported.
Officials, quoting state justice officials, said one of those detained was released on Monday evening with minor injuries after the seven were taken hostage during disturbances which began mid-afternoon at Maringa prison in Parana State, about 600km west of Sao Paulo.
Prison staff could not confirm if any further hostages had been released in the second mutiny by inmates of the facility, built in 1996 and which holds 650 prisoners, in just over two months.
A spokeswoman said police were at the scene.
Web news portal G1 said military police were negotiating with the mutineers in a wing of the jail holding 120 prisoners.
According to the Parana State Ministry of Justice, the jail is not quite full to capacity in currently holding 636 detainees.
Monday’s unrest was only the latest in a series of prison mutinies across Brazil in recent months.
As well as disturbances in Maringa itself in late October, the same month saw two days of unrest at Guarapava, also in Parana State, which ended with the release of guards and inmates whom other prisoners had taken hostage.
Quoting the state justice secretary and regional prison officers’ union, Sindarspen, broadcaster Globo reported that the past five months have seen 23 prison mutinies in Parana State alone.
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