Ecuador prison violence leaves at least 68 dead, dozens injured

Quito (Reuters) – At least 68 prisoners were killed and more than two dozen injured in overnight violence at Ecuador’s Penitenciaria del Litoral prison, the government said on Saturday, in what officials characterize as fights among rival gangs.

The penitentiary, located in the southern city of Guayaquil, is the same prison where 119 inmates were killed in late September in the country’s worst-ever incident of prison violence. read more

The government has blamed disputes between drug trafficking gangs for control of prisons for the violence.

Dozens were gathered outside the prison waiting for news of loved ones, who many said they had not heard from since Friday afternoon.

Cristina Monserrat, 58, still has not heard from her younger brother who has been in prison for a year.

“What is happening inside is reprehensible, people killing each other and the saddest thing is they have no conscience,” said Monserrat. “My brother is alive, my heart tells me so.”

President Guillermo Lasso, Monserrat added, must do more to help the poor. Ecuador’s prison system has come under harsh spotlight in recent years for overcrowding, poor sanitary conditions and organized crime.

Lasso in September declared a 60-day state of emergency in the prison system, which freed up government funding and allowed for military assistance in control of the prisons.

On Saturday, the president called on the constitutional court to allow the military to enter prisons, instead of providing only outside security.