HOLMES: Welcome back. Brazilian authorities now investigating a lengthy prison riot that left at least 56 people dead. They say the death toll can rise as they get a better idea of what happened. CNN's Rafael Romo with the details.</s>RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDEENT: Brazilian officials say the riot lasted 17 hours, until Monday morning, when the prison guards were finally able to regain control.</s>ROMO (voice-over): Family members of inmates desperate to find out about their loved ones rushed the prison gates.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translation): I want to know how my son is. My son is in there. This is a bullet.</s>ROMO: Anguish is plane to see on their faces. Violence broke out in the prison complex near the city of Manaus. Officials say the bloody riot was sparked by a battle between rival drug gangs. Prison guards and 74 prisoners were taken hostage during the 17-hour riot. The bodies of some of those killed were thrown over the prison walls, some decapitated.</s>UNIDENTIFIED PRISON OFFICIAL (through translation): There were deaths, unfortunately. We have some outside the prison who were thrown from the prison by the prisoner themselves. There have been escapes. We don't know how many. We are looking for the escapees.</s>ROMO: Brazil has more than 600,000 people behind bars, the fourth largest prison population on earth. Prisons there have been criticized for being overcrowded, violent and disease ridden. (on camera): In addition to overcrowding, a Brazilian security official acknowledged that the two gangs were probably fighting each other because they wanted to control drug trafficking inside the prison. Rafael Romo, CNN.</s>HOLMES: Well, Mariah Carey's team is blaming a faulty ear piece for an awkward New Year's Eve performance, and people on social media are sounding off as well. We'll have that and more when we come back.
Dozens Killed In Brazil Prison Riot; 56 Dead in Brazil Prison Riot