Quito, July 23 (EFE).- Six inmates were killed in a prison in the coastal Guayas province in southwest Ecuador while another 11 were injured, the National Comprehensive Care Service for Adults Deprived of Liberty and Adolescent Offenders (SNAI) said Sunday.
Smoke seen rising from the prison in the city of Guayaquil, Ecuador, on 23 July, 2023. EFE-EPA/Jonathan Miranda
The inmates were killed in clashes between criminal gangs that occurred on Saturday evening and Sunday in the Guayas No. 1 Deprivation of Liberty Center (CPL), the SNAI said.
An Armed Forces armored vehicle arrives at the prison in the city of Guayaquil, Ecuador, on 23 July, 2023. EFE-EPA/Jonathan Miranda
The agency has arranged a specialized team to provide psychological care to the relatives of the victims and injured prisoners.
An ambulance accompanied by police officers leaves the prison in the city of Guayaquil, Ecuador, on 23 July, 2023. EFE-EPA/Jonathan Miranda
Following the clashes, security protocols were activated in all detention centers across the country, the SNAI added.
Relatives of inmates wait for information outside the prison in the city of Guayaquil, Ecuador, on 23 July, 2023. EFE-EPA/Jonathan Miranda
Prison security agents are still being held by criminal gangs in four prisons: Cotopaxi N 1, Azuay N 1, Cañar °2 and El Oro N 1.
“The necessary actions are being taken by the security institutions to release them and get back to normal,” the agency said, adding that the hostages were “in good condition.”
The SNAI also reported that inmates in ten prisons in ten provinces went on a hunger strike without providing further details.
Since 2020, more than 450 inmates have been killed in clashes between rival criminal gangs vying for internal control of prisons.
The crisis is fueled by overcrowding that can in some cases reach 50 percent of the prison’s capacity.
The violence has also spilled over to the streets, with gangs vying for control of drug trafficking routes, especially in the coastal area. EFE
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