At least 15 people were killed and nearly two dozen others injured in violent clashes at a prison in Ecuador Monday night. The national prison authority of the South American country, SNAI, announced this on Twitter on Tuesday morning.
The incident happened at a prison in the city of Latacunga, the capital of Cotopaxir province, nearly 90 kilometers south of the capital Quito. The police and army are tasked with bringing the situation in the detention center under control, the authority said.
The exact circumstances of the dispute are not yet known, but it was likely a fight between rival gangs. The rescue of the dead is still ongoing, the prosecutor writes on Twitter.
200 killed in riots last year
Riots, mutinies and fighting between hostile gangs have broken out repeatedly in Ecuador’s prisons. More than 200 people lost their lives last year. The federal police and armed forces subsequently took control of the country’s prisons.
The prisons in the country on the west coast of South America, as elsewhere in Latin America, are overcrowded. Numerous penal institutions are controlled by rival gangs, where imprisoned bosses run the affairs of their criminal organizations from the cells.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
