52 dead, 16 decapitated in Brazil prison riot

At least 52 inmates died, with 16 decapitated, in a prison riot in the northern Brazilian state of Para. State authorities said the riot began around 7am on Monday in a prison in the city of Altamira, and involved rival criminal gangs who took at least two penitentiary officers hostage as they battled one another. Videos circulating online showed inmates celebrating as they kicked decapitated heads across the floor. At least 55 inmates died in May during an attack in a lockup in the northern state of Amazonas. In 2017, weeks of violence in Amazonas resulted in 150 prison deaths as local gangs backed by Brazil’s two largest drug factions went to war there.