55 inmates remain at large following Brazilian prison break
Brasilia, Sep 11: Fifty of the 105 inmates who escaped from a maximum-security prison in Brazil's Paraiba state have been apprehended while the 55 others still remain at large, officials said.
On Monday, some 20 men armed with rifles and explosives arrived at the prison in four vehicles and opened fire on guard posts, the barracks and the main entrance of the Romeu Goncalves Abrantes maximum-security prison in Joao Pessoa, the state capital, reports Efe news.
Guards and police engaged the gunmen in a shootout, authorities said, adding that the prison's main door was then knocked down, allowing 105 prisoners to escape.
Another group of gunmen, meanwhile, blocked part of a nearby highway and shot a 36-year-old police officer in the head.
The officer was transported to a hospital, where he remains listed in critical condition.
The Federal University of Paraiba, some schools and hospitals suspended operations as a precaution to "ensure the safety of clients and professionals," the Joao Pessoa Mayor's Office said.
Security was heightened in the city as officers sought to track down the prisoners still at large.
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Family of five from Bengaluru killed in road accident in Andhra
Palamaneru (Andhra Pradesh) (PTI): Five members of a family from Bengaluru died on the spot after the car in which they were travelling to Tirupati rammed into a stationary truck in Chittoor district on Wednesday, a police official said.
The deceased included three women, and the accident occurred on the four-lane highway near Palamaneru at around 8.45 am on Wednesday, police said.
"Five members of a family travelling from Bengaluru to Tirupati were killed on the spot when their car rammed into a stationary truck near Palamaneru," the official told PTI.
According to police, the accident is suspected to have occurred due to overspeeding and the driver possibly feeling sleepy.
Meanwhile, relatives of the deceased have been informed and are on their way to the accident site, the official added.
