On July 29, a riot broke out at the Altamira Regional Recovery Centre in the northern state of Pará in which 52 people have been confirmed dead and 16 have been decapitated.

From the 52 dead inmates, 16 were decapitated.

The incident happened at Altamira Regional Recovery Centre in the northern state of Pará on July 29, 2019, when rival gang members raided an annex.

It is reported that the gang members even set a facility on fire. The clash lasted for 5 hours.

Reports suggest that gang members from Block A stormed Prison Block B in order to get at members of an opposing gang.

They locked a room in the block and set it on fire, in which a number of prisoners passed away due to asphyxiation.

Military Police had to be brought in so they could negotiate with the prisoners who were involved in the gang fight.

During the prison riots, it is reported that 2 prison guards were held as hostages. They were released after the Military Police negotiated with the inmates.

The police are yet to release the names of the two factions that were involved in the gang war.

The Altamira Regional Recovery Centre in the northern state of Pará was built to keep only 200 inmates, but the jail was holding 311 inmates when the gang war happened.

Prison riots are common in Brazil prisons. This is due to an overcrowded prison and because of bringing in rival gang members.