- Ecuadorian police recovered 11 bodies and 29 body parts in Guayaquil prison after gang clashes, with the official death toll yet to be determined.
- President Lasso declares a 60-day state of emergency as violence in prisons escalates, and 17 guards are held hostage in Esmeraldas.
- Amid prison violence, presidential candidates vow reforms; over 100 prison officers are freed, and authorities seize weapons and drugs.
Ecuador’s police said on Wednesday they had recovered 11 bodies and 29 body parts after retaking control of various cell blocks at a prison in Guayaquil where members of different criminal groups fought over the weekend.
The forensic effort at the Penitenciaría del Litoral prison continues to determine the official death toll, Cesar Zapata, the police director of citizen security and public order, told journalists.
The figure seemed to contradict that given on Tuesday by the country’s attorney general’s office, which tallied 31 prisoner deaths.
“We are carrying out a collection and verification of the exterior and interior to be able to determine exactly how many bodies there are,” said Zapata, who added authorities were confirming whether the body parts belonged to already-recovered remains.
This week’s latest surge of prison violence comes during campaigning for the 20 August elections, with some presidential candidates pledging prison reforms.
Seventeen prison guards were being held hostage on Wednesday at a jail in the city of Esmeraldas, prisons agency SNAI said.
More than 100 prison officers in jails nationwide were freed on Tuesday, and SNAI said prisoners had lifted hunger strikes at some facilities.
The 2 700 soldiers and police officers who entered the Penitenciaria del Litoral prison confiscated high-calibre weapons, including grenade launchers, drugs, cell phones and bullet-proof vests.
The disturbances led President Guillermo Lasso to declare a 60-day state of emergency for the country’s prisons and allow the military to help retake control.
Lasso has regularly declared states of emergency in the country’s prisons as he tries to tackle the violence that has surged since 2021, claiming the lives of at least 400 prisoners.
#Ecuador #prison #violence #leaves #dead
