Teenage detainees on the run in Brazil

MORE THAN 500 teenagers are still on the run after escaping from one of Brazil's most notorious young offenders' institutions during a 10-day jailbreak.

About 1,000 convicted offenders took part in the mass breakout from the State Foundation for the Wellbeing of Minors (Febem) in Sao Paulo - South America's largest city - to escape from what human rights campaigners describe as appalling conditions and systematic abuse.

Designed to hold just 350 children, the concrete compound houses more than 1,700, who are routinely expected to sleep three to a single mattress.The jailbreak comes after the teenagers' demands for regular visiting hours and the right to wash their clothes were ignored by detention centre staff.