RIO DE JANEIRO, May 25 -- At least 89 prisoners escaped from a prison in the northern Brazilian state of Rio Grande de Norte, getting out through a 30-meter tunnel, official sources said on Thursday.

According to the state government, the events happened on Thursday morning in the prison of Pernamirim, in the state capital of Natal.

The prisoners escaped through a tunnel of around 30 meters, which went from a prison wing to outside the walls. This is the biggest jailbreak in Rio Grande do Norte history, with just nine having been recaptured so far.

According to military police, at least two cars and a motorbike were seen outside the prison being used to help the rescue. It added that the prisoners had changed clothes from their prison outfits to make their identification more difficult.

This is the second escape from the same jail this year, after 14 prisoners broke out in January, again through a tunnel.

The prison is designed for a maximum of 436 prisoners, but it reportedly had 589 inmates at the time of the breakout.

The Brazil prison system has been lambasted by observers for rampant overcrowding, blamed for much of the violence plaguing it.

Rio Grande do Norte's prison crisis has continued to trouble the country, especially after a riot in Alcacuz, its largest prison, in January led to 26 prisoners being killed and 56 more escaping.

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