Allegedly Related To Fights Between Gangs, 13 Prisoners Died In Prison Riots

Prison illustration. (unsplash/@yoavaziz)

JAKARTA - Dozens of detainees died in prison riots, allegedly linked to fights between ruling gangs Monday, with the police and military moving swiftly to bring the situation under control and regain control of prisons.

At least 13 prisoners died in a riot inside a prison located in Santo Domingo, Ecuador, according to the country's prisons agency, marking one of the deadliest incidents of prison violence in the Andean nation.

Conservative President Guillermo Lasso's government has linked prison violence to fights between gangs for control of territory and drug trafficking routes.

It is known, as many as 316 prisoners died in riots at various prisons across Ecuador last year. Meanwhile, violence at the prison in Santo Domingo in May resulted in 43 deaths.

Police and armed forces reclaimed control of the prison, prison agency SNAI said on Twitter. It previously called the incident a "dispute".

"Unfortunately, personnel from the center reported that up to now 13 prisoners were killed and two injured," the agency said, adding that the final tally would be carried out by the attorney general's office.

Separately, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights said Ecuador's prison system was undermined by state neglect and the absence of comprehensive policies, as well as poor conditions for inmates.

The state prison holds about 33,900 people and is 12.5 percent more than maximum capacity, according to official figures.