Riot in Brazil prison leaves 15 choked and stabbed to death

SAO PAULO (Reuters) - A riot between inmates in a prison in Brazilian state of Amazonas ended with 15 dead on Sunday, according to a statement of the state secretariat for prisons.

Inmates at the Amazonas jail were choked to death or stabbed with toothbrushes, Colonel Marcos Vinicius Almeida, head of the state's jails, said in the statement.

The riot began during visiting hours. There were no hostages and violence was directed between inmates, Almeida said.

The jail was the scene of an inmate uprising that ended with 56 dead in 2017.

The government will investigate the cause of the riot, the statement said.

(Writing by Tatiana Bautzer; Editing by Bill Trott)