Rio de Janeiro, Nov 10, (dpa/GNA) – Thirty-one inmates have died in separate incidents at a prison in Ecuador, authorities said on Sunday.
According to prison authority SNAI, 27 prisoners were found dead on Sunday afternoon. They died from asphyxiation as a result of hanging, the authority said, but the exact circumstances of the deaths were unclear.
“The competent authorities are working to fully clarify the events,” SNAI said.
Earlier, the authority had reported that four inmates were killed during unrest at the same prison, in the coastal city of Machala. In addition, 34 people were injured, including a police officer, broadcaster Ecuavisa reported.
Ecuador has for years experienced repeated outbreaks of violence in its prisons, which are often overcrowded and controlled by rival gangs.
Clashes between competing groups frequently result in large numbers of deaths. Security forces often merely ensure that detainees remain inside the facilities, while prisoners are largely left to themselves within the walls.
In September, 14 people, including a prison guard, were killed at the same facility in the south of the country.
GNA