60 Killed and Headless Bodies Thrown Over Walls in Massive Prison Riots: Officials

Sixty people were killed, including several who were beheaded and dismembered, during prison riots in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest, authorities said.

The massive violence erupted in four correctional facilities, but most of the deaths occurred at the Anisio Jobim Penitentiary Complex, where 56 inmates died in brutal fighting between two gangs, authorities said.

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Several were decapitated and chopped up and their remains were hurled over the prison’s walls, officials said.

Three other facilities in Amazonas state saw rioting on Sunday and Monday, and 184 inmates escaped, according to Gov. Jose Melo, The Associated Press reported.

Only 48 of the prisoners were recaptured

Blood was spilled over drug smuggling routes and control of prisons, Melo said.

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Officials said they were in the process of transferring inmates involved in the killings to high-security federal institutions.

The violence was the area's deadliest since 111 prisoners were killed by police during a 1992 riot in Sao Paulo.

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