At least 27 inmates were found dead from asphyxiation on Sunday afternoon at a prison in Ecuador, where an armed riot earlier in the day had already left four others dead and dozens more injured.
In an official statement, Ecuador’s prison authorities reported that the 27 individuals discovered at Machala Prison, located in the El Oro province, had “committed asphyxiation among themselves, resulting in immediate death by suspension.” Officials stated they were continuing to “fully clarify the facts”, with forensic medical teams on site to verify the information.
The tragic events at Machala Prison represent the latest episode in a wave of deadly unrest within Ecuador’s penal system. The country’s prisons have become operational hubs for rival drug-trafficking gangs, and clashes between these groups — fighting for control of the lucrative narcotics trade — have claimed the lives of more than 500 inmates in recent years.
According to officials, the violence began around 3:00 a.m. (0800 GMT) on Sunday in the Machala facility, situated in the south-west of the country. Residents living nearby reported hearing gunfire, explosions, and cries for help emanating from within the prison walls.
Ecuador’s National Service for Comprehensive Attention to Adults Deprived of Liberty (SNAI) confirmed in a statement that four individuals had died during the morning violence, while 33 inmates and one police officer sustained injuries. Elite police units entered the facility shortly after the riot erupted and succeeded in regaining control, the agency added.
However, authorities did not disclose the identities of the deceased or specify whether the incident stemmed from another outbreak of inter-gang conflict.
Officials believe the violence may be linked to plans to transfer certain inmates to a newly constructed maximum-security prison in another province. The facility, developed under President Daniel Noboa’s administration, is expected to be inaugurated later this month.
This is not the first time Machala Prison has seen bloodshed. At the end of September, an armed confrontation there resulted in the deaths of 13 inmates and one prison officer, underscoring the persistent instability within Ecuador’s overcrowded and gang-dominated prison system.