At least 38 inmates and a guard were killed during an uprising of prisoners last Saturday at a detention center in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, said a preliminary report Tuesday.  

According to the Legal Medical Institute, the death toll could rise to 50.

The rebellion was brought under control Monday night but police and firemen chiefs said that the installations had not been inspected yet, the report added.

The revolt began after the inmates launched a massive attempt to escape, which was organized by the members of the criminal organization known as Red Command, said Geraldo Moreira, provincial representative and local chamber's Human Rights Commission president.

Earlier, the rebels had held hostage 26 guards and some relatives visiting the inmates. Some of them were tied to gas cylinders taken from the kitchen and the rebels threatened to blast them if the police invaded the premises, said the report.

The end of the uprising was negotiated by the Protestant Minister Marcos Pereira da Silva, whose intervention was requested by the inmates.

Rebellions and jailbreaks are common in Brazilian prisons.

Last week, the Amnesty International issued a report on the conditions of Brazilian prisons, saying overcrowding, poor sanitation, limited access to health services, riots and prisoner-on-prisoner violence were regularly reported to authorities in 2003.

(Xinhua News Agency June 2, 2004)