A dozen adolescent prisoners escaped in a Brazilian jail riot, which left injured 24 inmates and 31 prison officers, three of them very seriously, Brazilian authorities said on Wednesday.

The riot, described as the most violent in the State Foundation for the Well-being of Minors (Febem) since 1999, broke out on Tuesday morning when 61 convicts, some wearing prison officers' uniforms, escaped through the main gates of the correction center.

According to authorities, 309 of the 1,350 detainees participated in the riot, during which the rebelled inmates occupied terraces and roofs and burned furniture and bedding.

Authorities quelled the rebellion by the end of the afternoon. Forty-nine of the escaped were later recaptured.

Febem officials said they were investigating the Association of Prisoners' Mothers for allegedly aiding and abetting the rioters.

The Tautape jail, known as one of the most violent in Brazil, has seen 18 riots this year. Sao Paolo state officials announced eight months ago that they would close the jail and replace it with 41 smaller local institutions around the Sao Paolo region.

The Inter-American Human Rights Court (CIDH) recently investigated conditions in the jail, in response to complaints of torture and abuse brought before the court in December 2004.

Source: Xinhua