Brazil: 100 inmates escape from maximum-security prison

Escape to freedom! On Monday, more than 100 inmates escaped from a maximum-security prison in Brazil’s Paraiba state, said officials.

The Paraiba Prison Administration Secretariat said, 33 of the total 105 prisoners who had escaped on Monday morning were captured.

Xinhua quoted the secretariat as saying in a statement that about 20 men armed with rifles and explosives arrived at the prison in four vehicles and opened fire on guard posts, the barracks and the main entrance of the Romeu Gonçalves Abrantes maximum-security prison in Joao Pessoa, the state capital.

The Secretariat also said that the police and guard of the prison engaged the gunmen in a shootout. The goons knocked down the prison door, allowing 105 prisoners to escape. In the meanwhile, another group of gunmen had blocked part of a highway. They also shot a 36-year-old police officer in the head. The officer was rushed to the nearby hospital, where he is said to be in a critical condition.

Police have not determined whether the two incidents are related. The Federal University of Paraiba, some schools and hospitals suspended operations as a precaution to “ensure the safety of clients and professionals,” the Joao Pessoa Mayor’s Office said.

The authorities are yet to ascertain whether both the incidents are co-related. While officers are still looking out for the prisoners who are at large, security is the city has been tightened.

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