A riot at a prison in the Amazonas region of Brazil has left 15 inmates dead, according to authorities.

Prisoners are thought to have sparked hours of violence at Anisio Jobim Prison Complex on Sunday.

Inmates began fighting among themselves around noon, during visiting hours, leading to a security response at the penitentiary.

Those that were killed were either choked to death or stabbed with a toothbrushes in front of visitors, prison officials said.

The incident is not the first time violence has broken out at the prison complex. In 2017, a series of fights between inmates at the prison resulted in the deaths of 56 people.

Brazilian tribal lands under new threat Show all 20 1 /20 Brazilian tribal lands under new threat Brazilian tribal lands under new threat Indigenous Macuxi children play at the community of Maturuca on the Raposa Serra do Sol reservation, Roraima state, Brazil Photos Reuters Brazilian tribal lands under new threat The Macuxi fear the return of farmers, illegal gold miners and poachers, all of whom are emboldened by President Jair Bolsonaro’s rhetoric and his moves to weaken their rights Reuters Brazilian tribal lands under new threat A child from an indigenous tribe eats a watermelon Reuters Brazilian tribal lands under new threat Children play in Uailan river in Romaira state Reuters Brazilian tribal lands under new threat Chief Aldenir Lima, the leader of the 70 communities on the Raposa Serra do Sol reservation next to a monument honouring the tribes and their struggle to secure land rights Reuters Brazilian tribal lands under new threat Sideneia Francisco de Lima, 15, looks out of her house on the reservation Reuters Brazilian tribal lands under new threat Indigenous Macuxi children dance in a ceremony for indigenous leaders Reuters Brazilian tribal lands under new threat Macuxi people play football on the reservation Reuters Brazilian tribal lands under new threat ‘I want to ask the new president Jair Bolsonaro to respect indigenous people and our constitutional rights,’ says community leader Tereza Pereira de Souza, her hair crowned with a headdress of yellow feathers. ‘It took us 30 years to get our land borders legally recognised and registered’ Reuters Brazilian tribal lands under new threat The night sky above the reservation. Brazil’s 900,000 indigenous people make up less than 1 per cent of the population and live on reservations that account for 13 per cent of the territory Reuters Brazilian tribal lands under new threat Macuxi leader Orlando Pereirana da Silva, 73, weighs cattle meat at the community of Uailan Reuters Brazilian tribal lands under new threat A Macuxi cowboy stands on a rock Reuters Brazilian tribal lands under new threat Bolsonaro says they live in abject poverty and hunger and should be assimilated instead of being confined to reservations like ‘zoo animals’ Reuters Brazilian tribal lands under new threat Any attempt to change the reservation’s legal status would likely be opposed by the Supreme Court on the grounds that Brazil’s 1988 Constitution protects indigenous land rights Reuters Brazilian tribal lands under new threat A teacher writes on a board at an indigenous cultural centre Reuters Brazilian tribal lands under new threat Anthropologists warn that removing protections would destroy the traditions and languages of the Macuxi and four other related tribes on the reservation Reuters Brazilian tribal lands under new threat ‘Nature is our life, our blood and our spirit, because it gives us sustenance,’ says Martinho de Souza, a Macuxi shaman. ‘We were born on this land, we live here and we will die here.’ Reuters Brazilian tribal lands under new threat Nearby, in the shaman’s village of Tamanduá, chickens run about. The village is named after a type of anteater, a large mammal in danger of extinction Reuters Brazilian tribal lands under new threat A Macuxi woman takes a shower Reuters Brazilian tribal lands under new threat Macuxi leader Tuchaua Gilmario Pereira in a blue feather headdress Reuters

The state prison secretary, Colonel Marcus Vinicius Oliveira de Ameida, said the situation was now “under control” in a statement.

As an added security precaution, police helicopters maintained a presence in the area.

Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events

There is no information about any escapees at this time.