SAO PAULO, June 3 (Xinhua) -- Seven teenagers were killed and two more were injured on Saturday morning during a riot at a juvenile detention center in northeastern Brazil, authorities said.
The riot broke out around 2:30 a.m. local time as guards sought to stop inmates from escaping the Lar do Garoto detention center in the city of Lagoa Seca in the state of Paraiba, according to the Globo TV.
Prisoners set mattresses and furniture on fire while fights broke out when some inmates entered another wing which housed members of a rival gang, with some dying from stab wounds and others being burned to death.
The center's deputy director, Francisco Souza, confirmed to the press that 11 inmates had escaped but this was later updated to 20.
The two injured teenagers have been taken to hospital. One of them, 16, was in stable condition after having a surgery due to internal bleeding. The other, 17, was severely beaten and was currently under examination.
It was reported that Lar do Garoto was severely overcrowded, housing 218 prisoners despite only having the capacity for 40.
Overcrowding in Brazilian prisons has become a serious problem, seen as a contributing factor for regular massacres.
