RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Forensic experts in the Brazilian city of Altamira where 58 inmates were killed in a bloody prison riot said they had identified 17 bodies so far, with relatives facing the grim task of identifying sometimes decapitated corpses.
Only 15 of the bodies had been released to family members by late Tuesday. Workers at the coroner’s office said they were slowed by the size of the facility, the lack of equipment and lighting problems. In the Amazon heat, the bodies are being kept in a refrigerated truck.
Dozens of frustrated family members spent the day waiting outside the city’s forensic institute. Officials said some people passed out when called on to identify the bodies of beheaded loved ones. Sixteen of the dead inmates had been decapitated.
