The authorities of Rio Grande do Sul, the southern state of Brazil Terribly affected by the rains, they had to transfer 1,057 prisoners to other prisons that they were in a prison that was flooded, official sources reported this Monday.
The majority of the prisoners who were in the Regional Penitentiary of the city of Jacuà were transferred to the High Security Penitentiary of the neighboring city of Charqueadas after The waters will flood the first floor of the prisonaccording to the governorate of RÃo Grande do Sul, a state bordering Argentina and Uruguay.
Another part of the prisoners was taken to cells located on the second floor of the penitentiary.
The inmates of both cities who are serving sentences in semi-open regimethat is, those who can go out during the day to work but have to sleep in prison, were authorized to remain in their residences, but wearing electronic ankletsat least for the next 20 days.
“Until the water level returns to normal, we will take these prisoners to the prison where they were,” said the superintendent of the Secretariat of Penitentiary Services of Rio Grande do Sul, Mateus Schwartz.
The official said that three of the seven prison units of Charquedaswhich have a total capacity for six thousand inmates, were also affected by floodswhich forced part of the prisoners to be provisionally relocated.
The prisons of Jacuà and Charqueadas were flooded as a result of the flooding of the Jacuà River.
“But everyone, prisoners and guards, are fine and have water, electricity and food within normal limits,” he added, highlighting that in other municipalities of Rio Grande do Sul, mainly in Porto Alegre, the regional capital, a large part of the population is without electricity or drinking water supply.
The floods caused by the heavy rains of recent days in southern Brazil have so far caused at least 86 dead and 134 missingaccording to the most recent balance sheet.
The rainfall, which began to decrease after a week without respite, has affected more than 1.1 million inhabitants in 385 of the 496 municipalities of Rio Grande do Sul, who suffer from the lack of food, medicine and basic services such as Light and water.
