Ecuador’s prison riots leave 8 dead, 10 injured

Corrections officials in Ecuador said eight people were killed and 10 more injured during prison riots on Thursday.

“At the Cotopaxi penitentiary, “the death of four persons deprived of liberty” was reported, and another four died at the Pichincha prison,” corrections officials said.

More than 500 inmates have been killed in Ecuador’s prisons since 2021.

Some facilities are under military control, but drug-trafficking gangs challenge authorities from inside prison walls, ordering murders and extortion from behind bars.

Officials said those responsible for the riots have been identified and will be transferred to a maximum security prison, El Encuentro.

The facility was built by the government of president Daniel Noboa for the country’s most wanted criminals.