RIO DE JANEIRO, June 7 (UPI) -- Rio officials have declared a state of emergency in the state penitentiary system, local news sources reported Monday.
Agencia Estado news agency reported Rio state Gov. Rosinha Matheus signed an ordinance allotting emergency funds to increase safety and stability in the state's prisons.
Violence has always been a problem in Rio's gang-dominated, overcrowded prisons, though in recent weeks the killings and escapes have reached a new level of carnage.
On Saturday, 20 inmates escaped from a Petropolis prison -- 25 miles north of Rio de Janeiro -- during a rebellion. Only 10 prisoners have been recaptured.
Last week, 30 inmates and a guard were killed during a days-long prison fight between rival gangs at another Rio prison.
