Inmates riot at Brazil prison over no visits during pandemic

RIO DE JANEIRO — Rioting inmates at a prison in the northern state of Amazonas held seven guards hostage for several hours Saturday, protesting against the suspension of all visits in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, authorities said.

After more than five hours, the state’s public security secretariat said the situation inside Puraquequara prison was brought under control without any casualties and the guards freed.

Visits at the facility were suspended in midMarch, family members said, and rumors that the virus has began to spread inside have been on social media for weeks. Without visits, most families are cut off from loved ones with no way of contacting them.

Riots often occur in Brazil’s understaffed and overcrowded prisons.