SAO PAULO (Reuters)
Twenty-three women imprisoned in a
cramped jail overpowered their lone male guard and escaped early
Friday, just days after 345 men made the biggest prison break in
Brazil's history, officials said.
The night guard opened a cell holding 25 inmates after one of
the women feigned illness and called for help.
"They overpowered him, handcuffed him, took his gun and ran,"
said Estela Bonjardim, director for the prison in Sao Bernardo
do Campo, an industrial city near Sao Paulo.
Twenty-three of the jail's 50 inmates fled and none had been
recaptured, said Bonjardim.
The jail has a capacity for 16 women and is only supposed to
hold people awaiting trial. "But I had 20 convicts here,"
Bonjardim said.
The record-breaking escape last Sunday drew new attention
worldwide to Brazil's notoriously overcrowded and inhumane
prisons.
Police have recaptured only 151 of the 345 prisoners who fled
through the main gate of the Putim detention center in Sao Jose
do Campos, 60 miles northeast of Sao Paulo, possibly with the
help of guards.
