An attempted prison escape in northern Brazil ended in tragedy on Tuesday, as 21 people died in a firefight that that took place when outsiders attempted to blast a hole in one of the jail's walls.

The violent event took place in the city of Belem, located on the edge of the Amazon River Delta, in the state of Para. A group of armed men attempted to storm the Santa Izabel Penitentiary Complex to help free the prisoners inside, who were also armed.

Read more: Brazil to create new ministry for public security

Authorities said that after the explosion, prison guards fought back in "an intense exchange of gunfire." The situation was not under control until more police reinforcements arrived. At the conclusion of the incident, police were able to recover two rifles and five handguns at the scene.

Of the 21 dead, 15 were armed individuals that tried to break into the jail, five were inmates and one was a prison guard, according to local media, citing official sources.

Read more: Opinion: What path will Brazil take?

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The Santa Izabel Penitentiary Complex houses 659 inmates, despite having a capacity of 432. Human Rights organizations have denounced the deficient sanitary conditions and overcrowding at the prison.

Riots, escape attempts, gang violence and disputes over drug trafficking are commonplace problems in Brazil's overcrowded prisons. The South American nation holds the worlds fourth largest prison population.

Read more: Brazil: Army takes control of Rio security in bid to quash gang violence

In 2016, there were 726,712 inmates and capacity for only 368,000 nationwide, according to recent official statistics. In many cases, security staff are unable to control what happens in the prisons and assume a bystander role, with inmates running daily life at the jails.

Brazil is also one of the world's deadliest countries, with around 60,000 homicides a year.

Squatting in Rio: How the poor are reclaiming their rights Squatting and playing Isabelle plays in an old warehouse in the Rua da Lapa, in Rio’s city center. Her grandparents squatted in the place more than 30 years ago. Over time they constructed walls, rooms, and a bar inside.

Squatting in Rio: How the poor are reclaiming their rights Colonial decline For the most part, old 19th century colonial-style houses are left abandoned, usually when the original Portuguese owners die. More often than not, the poor move in, as Rio's rich prefer the newly constructed apartment buildings.

Squatting in Rio: How the poor are reclaiming their rights Exploiting every space available Very often the houses are divided into compartments to accommodate as many people as possible. This ramshackle building near Gloria metro is home to around 30 people in 18 rooms who share a common kitchen.

Squatting in Rio: How the poor are reclaiming their rights Down, but not out As a result of rising prices and a lingering economic crisis the population of homeless people in Rio has tripled in the past years. At night they look for a quiet place to sleep such as here in Rua da Lapa.

Squatting in Rio: How the poor are reclaiming their rights Organized squatting Sometimes the act of squatting takes on a well-prepared and organized form, spearheaded by social institutions, like this one in Mariana Crioula in the port area. For more than seven years they've been putting pressure on the government to construct apartments.

Squatting in Rio: How the poor are reclaiming their rights Waiting for approval The 70 members of this initiative pay a contribution and hope, one day, to obtain an apartment. A meeting is held every two weeks. Their proposals, including the outlines by architects, have been approved, but the final step to free up the funds to start the construction is still being held up.

Squatting in Rio: How the poor are reclaiming their rights Starting from scratch Quilombo da Gamboa is another social project trying the same process. However, living here is stressful. "A few weeks ago there was a fire that ruined part of the place. Firemen came and tried to force us out. As a squatter, you can lose your house in a few minutes," Roberto told DW.

Squatting in Rio: How the poor are reclaiming their rights Danger is just around the corner Roberto points out the dangers of squatting. "While occupying a previous building, people made me the de facto leader. Social cohesion fell apart when drug traffickers entered and took over." After being assaulted with a gun, he had to flee and started all over with the Quilombo da Gamboa Project.

Squatting in Rio: How the poor are reclaiming their rights A bad reputation In Brazil, many social projects get a bad press and are painted as criminal organizations as they are associated with the poor, squatters, violent gangs and drug traffickers.

Squatting in Rio: How the poor are reclaiming their rights Keeping an eye out All those involved in the various projects agree that in order to be successful, the individual groups need a strong and effective structure. One of the rules is to monitor 24/7 who enters and leaves the houses. Creozlita Silva do Nacemente is seen her during her door shift at Manuel Congo, where apartments were constructed after squatters had moved in. Author: Sanne Derks (Rio)



jcg/rt (dpa, AFP)

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