25 inmates killed in Brazil prison clash

At least 25 inmates have been killed in clashes between two rival factions in an overcrowded prison in northern Brazil, local media reported.

During visiting hours in a prison in Boa Vista, the capital of Roraima state, seven of the dead were beheaded and six others burned to death, a police official reportedly said.

The violence started when inmates of one wing of the Agricola de Monte Cristo prison broke into another wing where members of a different faction were being held, Capt Falkner Ferreira was quoted as saying.

Inmates are said to have been armed with knives and wooden clubs.

Some 100 visitors who were taken as hostages have been freed and the riot has ended.

The state government said it was waiting for a prisoner count to confirm the death toll.

Reports say there are 1,400 inmates currently in the prison, which has a capacity of up to 740.

Brazil has the world's fourth largest prison population, with some 600,000 inmates.