At least 68 dead in Ecuador prison riot

The Report Desk

Published: November 14, 2021, 11:41 AM

At least 68 dead in Ecuador prison riot

At least 68 prisoners have been killed in new fighting at an Ecuadorean prison where more than a hundred inmates died in clashes between rival gangs in September, officials say.

The riot at the Litoral Penitentiary in the city of Guayaquil reportedly began on Friday evening.

Police tactical units who have entered prison buildings have found guns and explosives, reports say.

Nearly 300 inmates have died so far this year in the country's prisons.

September's gang-related violence was the worst in Ecuador's history.

At the time, inmates from one wing of the prison crawled through a hole to gain access to a different wing, where they attacked rival gang members. Hundreds of officers and army soldiers were deployed to regain control of the complex.

The deadly fight, which saw some inmates decapitated, drew attention to the growing influence in Ecuador of transnational crime gangs such as the Mexico-based Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation cartels.

The latest fighting has also left 25 people injured and follows a smaller armed clash earlier this month in which three inmates were shot dead.

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