Supervisor Elham AbolFateh
Editor in Chief Mohamed Wadie

Ecuador: At Least 40 Inmates Killed in Prison Riot, Dozens Flee


Tue 10 May 2022 | 11:18 AM
Israa Farhan

The public prosecutor said at least 43 inmates have been killed in Ecuador's prison riot and dozens are on the run.

A fight broke out between rival gangs Los Lobos and R7 at a prison in Santo Domingo, about 80 km east of the capital Quito.

The local police chief said that 108 inmates escaped the prison during the riot and remain are missing, saying that an additional 112 prisoners made it out being recaptured.

Dozens were injured in the riot, but the exact number is still unclear.

Ecuadorian newspaper "El Universo" reported, according to the National Police Commander Fausto Salinas, that the incident was triggered by a brawl involving the transfer of an inmate known as "Anchundia" into the prison.

The newspaper said Anchundia was one of the ringleaders who had caused a previous prison riot in April.

President Guillermo Lasso his condolences to the families of those who died, and said it was the "unfortunate result of gang violence."

Ecuador's Interior Minister Patricio Carrillo wrote on Twitter that the government is working "to overcome the problems of the prison system, but it is complex to find quick solutions in an environment of... violence."

The president promised to boost the police force and pardon inmates who were convicted of minor crimes to ease overcrowding in prisons, but critics say he has lost control of the situation.