Brazilian prison riot claims 56 lives

Fighting ranks among most deadly of such incidents across Latin America

Rioting inmates decapitated their rivals in brutal fighting between two gangs in a Brazilian jail that left 56 dead, while 144 prisoners escaped, officials said on Monday.

The riot broke out on Sunday afternoon and lasted through the night at a prison on the outskirts of Manaus, the capital of Amazonas state, state public security secretary Sergio Fontes said.