Ecuador: 15 dead in prison riot; violence resumes

“There are new incidents” within the Latacunga prison center (about a hundred kilometers southeast of Quito), the prison administration told the press (SNAI).

At least 15 detainees were killed Monday following a mutiny in one of Ecuador's largest prisons, which has already been the scene of deadly violence in the past, authorities said.

The mutiny led to “15 dead and 20 injured,” Ecuador's prison administration told reporters. injured and that another was taken to a hospital, without specifying the seriousness of the injuries.

The SNAI added that “the tactical units are continuing operations to regain control” of the penitentiary.

According to the same source, “the armed forces provide support in the outer perimeter” of the located prison.

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Located on the outskirts of the city of Latacunga (south), this prison houses some 4,300 prisoners and is one of the largest in the country. Since February 2021, the establishment has experienced seven massacres between prisoners that have killed more than 400 people.

The authorities have so far proved unable to curb this violence, often perpetrated with knives and marked by beheadings and other acts of barbarism.

According to official estimates, the overcrowded prisons of the country house some 35,000 prisoners, including many members of gangs linked to drug trafficking.

In 2021 , Ecuador seized a record 210 tons of drugs, mostly cocaine.

Bordered by Colombia and Peru, the world's largest cocaine producers, Ecuador serves as a port of departure for drug shipments, mainly to the United States and Europe. Last year, the country of 17.7 million people recorded a rate of 14 murders per 100,000 people, almost double that of 2020.

In August, the government of President Guillermo Lasso has launched a census of prisoners with a view to improving living conditions in the face of prison overcrowding.