Dozens of inmates found hanged in Ecuador prison

At least 31 inmates have been found dead in a prison in southern Ecuador, including 27 who were hanged, officials said.

Violence broke out early Sunday at El Oro prison in the city of Machala, where clashes between rival gangs left four inmates dead and more than 30 injured. Hours later, guards responding to further unrest discovered the bodies of those who had been hanged on the prison’s third floor, according to Ecuador’s prison service, Snai.

Authorities said the fighting was triggered by plans to transfer some inmates to a new facility. Ecuador’s overcrowded prisons have seen repeated riots and gang violence in recent years, with hundreds of inmates killed. El Oro prison was also the site of a deadly incident in September, when 13 inmates and a guard were killed.

Relatives of inmates have urged authorities to strengthen security and separate rival gangs, while residents of Machala continue to call for the prison’s relocation from the city centre.

Prison gangs such as Los Lobos and Los Choneros have been central to Ecuador’s surge in violent crime and were designated Foreign Terrorist Organisations by the US in September.

via BBC