Police in Brazil have freed a woman who was assaulted and bricked up in a tomb after hearing her cries for help.

The 36-year-old was freed from the niche at the Municipal Cemetery of Visconde do Rio Branco, Minas Gerais State, on the morning of 28th March.

Gravediggers had called the police after noticing that the niche had been freshly sealed with bricks and cement, and that bloodstains were present.

When officers arrived on the scene, they heard the woman crying for help, opened the tomb, and freed her.

She was then taken to a local hospital to receive treatment for head injuries.

The Municipality of Visconde do Rio Branco said in a statement: “Despite the fact that the area where the incident occurred is partially closed, and even with increased security, invasions continue to occur, mainly by drug users, due to the disastrous situation in which the Municipal Cemetery was found by the current administration.”

The woman told how two masked men took her to the cemetery, where they assaulted her and sealed her in the tomb.

The Military Police described her as a drug user and said she had been keeping drugs for the pair but had “misplaced” them.

The Civil Police, however, gave the motive as a dispute over a firearm.

At the time of reporting, officers were searching for the perpetrators, who have both reportedly been identified.

It is not clear how long the woman spent in the niche.