Mass escape in at least 4 Brazilian prisons amid outbreak

Sao Paulo state’s penitentiary administration secretariat said in a statement on Monday night that 174 inmates have already been recaptured.

People seek information about family members who are prisoners after a riot inside the Regional Recovery Center in Altamira, Brazil, Monday, July 29, 2019. At least 57 prisoners were killed by other inmates during clashes between organized crime groups in the Altamira prison in northern Brazil Monday with 16 of the victims being decapitated, according to prison officials.

Hundreds of inmates escaped from at least four prisons in the state of Sao Paulo after local officials canceled their temporary exits because of fears they could bring the new coronavirus back with them upon their return.

Sao Paulo state’s penitentiary administration secretariat said in a statement on Monday night that 174 inmates have already been recaptured.

Brazilian media said more than 1,000 inmates could be on the loose. Reports also say inmates were complaining about restrictions to visitations this weekend, also aimed at containing the virus.

A video shot in the city of Mongaguŕ, on the coast of Sao Paulo state, and broadcast by TV Globo shows hundreds of men running out of a prison that has the capacity to hold about 2,800 inmates.

The local government prohibited the temporary exit from prison of about 34,000 inmates of a semi-open regime due to fears they could get infected outside and bring the virus back to the penitentiary.