<p>A police officer and an inmate were killed and 29 prisoners wounded in the latest riot to hit Brazil's overcrowded prison system, authorities said.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The violence erupted in a Recife jail when an orderly protest broke down, and was brought under control only after police arrived.<br /><br />One officer died of a bullet wound in hospital, while details surrounding the inmate's death were not released.<br /><br />The death and injury toll was confirmed by the secretary of public safety for Pernambuco state, whose capital is Recife.<br /><br />Gunfire and explosions were heard coming from inside the prison, and G1 Globo newsportal showed a helicopter with an armed official flying overhead.<br /><br />Brazilian jails have faced a string of riots in recent months. The system's 563,000 inmates make Brazil's prison population the fourth-largest after the United States, China and Russia, according Amnesty International.<br /><br />Human rights NGO Conectas meanwhile has reported that Brazil prisons must boost capacity by more than 200,000 spaces to avoid overcrowding.<br /><br />Pernambuco announced the opening of two new prisons in January and the expansion of another.<br /><br />Less that a year ago, two prisoners were killed at another Recife prison riot.</p>
<p>A police officer and an inmate were killed and 29 prisoners wounded in the latest riot to hit Brazil's overcrowded prison system, authorities said.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The violence erupted in a Recife jail when an orderly protest broke down, and was brought under control only after police arrived.<br /><br />One officer died of a bullet wound in hospital, while details surrounding the inmate's death were not released.<br /><br />The death and injury toll was confirmed by the secretary of public safety for Pernambuco state, whose capital is Recife.<br /><br />Gunfire and explosions were heard coming from inside the prison, and G1 Globo newsportal showed a helicopter with an armed official flying overhead.<br /><br />Brazilian jails have faced a string of riots in recent months. The system's 563,000 inmates make Brazil's prison population the fourth-largest after the United States, China and Russia, according Amnesty International.<br /><br />Human rights NGO Conectas meanwhile has reported that Brazil prisons must boost capacity by more than 200,000 spaces to avoid overcrowding.<br /><br />Pernambuco announced the opening of two new prisons in January and the expansion of another.<br /><br />Less that a year ago, two prisoners were killed at another Recife prison riot.</p>