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Death Toll in Sao Paulo Prison Riots Rises to 19
Three more bodies were found in a penitentiary in the state of Sao Paulo Tuesday, which brought the number of fatalities to 19 in Sunday's riots at the state's 29 prisons, said the local military police.
According to police, the three prisoners died as a result of asphyxiation while being detained in a van with no ventilation. They had been involved in a fight in the prison yard.
The uprising, which began Sunday and lasted for 27 hours, was organized by a powerful criminal element within the prison called the First Commando of the Capital (PCC). The participants were reportedly angered over the transfer of their leaders to other state prisons last week.
Considered the largest riot in Brazil's prison history, more than 27,000 prisoners in 29 prisons in 22 Sao Paulo state municipalities were involved.
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