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Six killed in Brazil prison melee

Xinhua, July 25, 2016 Adjust font size:

At least six inmates were killed and 15 were wounded after fighting broke out at a prison in Caruaru, in Brazil's northeast state of Pernambuco, the military police reported on Sunday.

The clash took place Saturday night between members of two rival gangs competing for control of the facility, the agency said in a report.

Portions of the facility were set on fire during the incident, so more bodies may be uncovered as officials sift through the rubble, the report said.

Like most prisons in Brazil, the one in Caruaru houses more inmates (1,850) than it was designed to.

According to non-governmental organizations, Pernambuco has the country's worst prison overcrowding, with 32,500 inmates and facilities for only 10,500. Enditem