Deadly Riot Erupts Inside Ecuador Prison
At least four inmates were killed and dozens injured after a violent riot broke out at the Guayas No. 1 prison—also known as the Litoral Penitentiary—in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Authorities said the deadly incident began when rival gangs inside the facility clashed over control of prison sectors.
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The National Service for Comprehensive Attention to Adults Deprived of Liberty (SNAI) confirmed that security forces, including police and military units, were dispatched to regain control. After hours of violence, order was eventually restored, but not before several inmates lost their lives.
The riot stemmed from the “reorganization of inmates” to a new maximum-security prison that will soon begin operating in a different province, according to a statement from Ecuador’s prison oversight agency. The violent incident happened less than two months after 14 inmates died at the same facility in what authorities described as a dispute between gangs.
Security Forces Respond to Gang Violence
Officials reported that emergency medical teams were sent to the prison to treat dozens of injured inmates. Many of the victims sustained injuries from firearms and improvised weapons.
An internal investigation has been launched to determine how the riot began and whether prison officials failed to prevent the violence. The SNAI also stated that new security protocols are being reviewed to prevent future incidents.
The prison is located in Machala, a coastal city in southwest Ecuador. Officials said authorities regained control of the facility following the riot, which also injured one police officer.
Authorities did not specify the identities of the deceased or confirm whether the violence was another case of inter-gang fighting, Agence France-Presse reported. The conditions of the injured were not immediately clear on Sunday.
Ecuador’s prisons have become among the deadliest in Latin America as overcrowding, corruption and weak state control have allowed gangs connected to drug traffickers in Colombia and Mexico to proliferate. Many are heavily armed with weapons smuggled in from the outside and continue to organize criminal activity from behind bars.
Another clash between drug gangs last month claimed at least 17 lives at a prison located in the coastal city of Esmeraldas, near the Colombian border.
More than 500 people in the country have died in prison riots since 2021. Last year, a series of coordinated riots across multiple prisons led to the hostage-taking of 150 prison guards.
Families Demand Answers
Outside the prison, anxious families gathered, pleading for information about their loved ones. Many expressed anger and fear as authorities worked to identify the dead and injured.
The latest riot underscores Ecuador’s deepening prison security crisis, highlighting the urgent need for comprehensive reform and stronger measures to protect inmates from recurring violence.
