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A prison riot in northeastern Brazil left eight inmates dead after a fight between two gangs quickly escalated, prison officials said.Nearly 50 people, mostly visiting family members, were held hostage for several hours, but were released unharmed Monday.
Five inmates were injured in the violence — four of them were treated and sent back to the prison, a fifth remains hospitalized in an unknown condition.
Prison officials in Bahia state, where the riot took place, said in an emailed statement that they negotiated an end to the standoff early Monday.
The riot began late Sunday in the Feira de Santana regional prison. It's severely overcrowded — holding 1,467 prisoners in a space built for 644.
Prison riots are relatively frequent in Brazil and often involve multiple deaths.
