Inmates at a prison in Manaus, a Brazilian city deep in the Amazon that has been hit hard by the coronavirus outbreak, briefly took seven prison guards hostage on Saturday, the local prison authority told Reuters.
The inmates had rioted to create a distraction as others built a tunnel underneath the prison walls, but police snuffed out the scheme after raiding the prison and freed the guards, prison officials said.
There were no reported deaths. However, 10 prison guards, two police officers and five inmates were lightly injured, the prison authority said in a statement.
Dozens of family members gathered outside the prison walls complained of conditions inside the jail, including insufficient food, cells without electricity, and lack of