Sixty prisoners escaped during the violence at the Embu das Artes jail.

There were 164 prisoners were being held in cells designed for 24 people.

The police say two inmates were killed by other prisoners and eight others suffocated from the fumes of burning matteresses.

The authorities say the riot ended when inmates surrendered.

A BBC correspondent in Brazil says the uprising once again highlights the appalling overcrowding and poor conditions in the country's jails.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service