Ecuador prison rioting causes at least 31 deaths, some died by hanging

QUITO – A day of violent rioting at a prison in south-west Ecuador on Nov 9 caused the deaths of at least 31 inmates, the country’s prisons agency said.

Twenty-seven prisoners in port town Machala, south of Guayaquil, died due to asphyxiation and “by hanging”, according to a statement shared on X by the SNAI prisons agency. There were no other details about how the prisoners died.

Earlier on Nov 9, SNAI reported four deaths at the same prison in a separate incident, which was brought under control by tactical police. That riot was prompted by a reorganisation of the prisoners in a new maximum security facility, the statement said.

Ecuador has faced a wave of deadly prison riots in recent years, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of inmates. President Daniel Noboa’s administration, which has pledged to take a tough stance on crime, blames the violence on rival gangs battling for dominance and territorial control.

In September,

a riot caused by gang fighting

in the same prison left 14 people dead and another 14 wounded.

Days later, another 17 people were killed in a prison riot in the northern city of Esmeraldas, near the border with Colombia. REUTERS