Death toll in Ecuador prison riot rises to 30: Officials

Officials say deadly violence that involved gunfire, knives and explosions broke out after a dispute between two gangs.

Officials in Ecuador say at least 30 inmates have been killed and 47 others injured in a riot between rival gangs inside a prison, the latest in a series of deadly clashes in the Andean nation’s overpopulated and understaffed prison system.

National police commander Fausto Buenano announced the higher death toll on Wednesday, a day after the riot broke out at a prison in Guayaquil, more than 400km (250 miles) southwest of the capital, Quito.

Buenano told reporters that a police and military operation had regained control of the prison after five hours and that several weapons had been seized.