Battle among Ecuador prison gangs kills at least 68 inmates
The Hindu
The prison violence comes amid a national state of emergency decreed by President Guillermo Lasso in October that empowers security forces to fight drug trafficking and other crimes
A prolonged gunbattle between rival gangs inside Ecuador’s largest prison killed at least 68 inmates and wounded 25 on November 13, while authorities said it took most of the day to regain control at the Litoral Penitentiary, which recently saw the .
The killing erupted before dawn at the prison in the coastal city of Guayaquil in what officials said was the latest outbreak of fighting among prison gangs linked to international drug cartels. Videos circulating on social media showed bodies, some burned, lying on the ground inside the prison.
The shooting lasted around eight hours, officials said, and then new clashes were reported in part of the prison in the afternoon.