QUITO, Sept 29 (NNN-XINHUA) – At least 24 inmates were killed and another 48 were injured, in clashes yesterday, at the Litoral Penitentiary, located in the coastal city of Guayaquil, in south-western Ecuador, authorities and the National Police said.
Speaking to local media, Pablo Arosemena, the governor of the province of Guayas, whose capital is Guayaquil, confirmed the number of victims in the melee in different parts of the prison.
The clashes took place between gangs fighting for control of drug trafficking and other crimes, planned inside the prison, said Arosemena.
It was the deadliest such incident since Feb, when a series of coordinated riots at four prisons left 79 inmates dead and some 20 people wounded, including police officers.
The National Police said that, the clashes at Litoral Penitentiary included “detonations of firearms and explosions.”
Arosemena said, “Citizens need not worry and be calm, the police and tactical forces managed to restore order in less than 24 hours,” at the prison.
