Prisoner brawl leaves 15 dead in Ecuador.

(CLO) A brawl between prisoners has left at least 15 dead and 14 injured at Ecuador's largest prison, authorities said on Tuesday.

Litoral Prison in the coastal city of Guayaquil is a frequent site of riots and mass killings, including one in 2021 that left 119 inmates dead.

In a statement, prison officials said police and military had been deployed to take control of the facility. The Ecuadorian Attorney General's office said it was preparing to charge nine prisoners with violent murder.

A special forces vehicle enters Litoral prison after clashes that left 15 prisoners dead in Guayaquil, Ecuador, on November 12, 2024. Photo: AFP

Local media reported that helicopters could be seen flying over the prison as ambulances and relatives of the inmates, some of them screaming in desperation, rushed to the prison gates to try to escape.

Ecuadorian prisons have become some of the most dangerous in South America due to overcrowding, with many inmates linked to drug traffickers in Colombia and Mexico. Many prisoners are even armed with heavy weapons smuggled in and continue to organize criminal activities behind bars.

Dozens of violent incidents in Ecuadorian prisons have claimed more than 400 lives since 2001. Ecuador recorded a record 47 murders per 100,000 inhabitants in 2023, up from 6 murders per 100,000 inhabitants in 2018.

Huy Hoang (according to AP)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/tu-nhan-hon-chien-khien-15-nguoi-thiet-mang-o-ecuador-post321110.html