By Gistflash News
July 24, 2021
The number of inmates confirmed dead from violent uprisings in two Ecuadorian prisons has risen to at least 27, according to the national prison authority.
The authority announced on Friday that in Cotopaxi’s prison, 19 inmates were killed, . In Guayaquil’s prison, eight inmates were killed, according to the authority.
Dozens of inmates and about 10 police officers were also injured in the riots.
Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso blamed the criminal gangs that operate from prisons in Latin America for the violence.
In Cotopaxi, large numbers of inmates also broke out of jail during the uprising. According to the prison authorities, 86 escaped inmates were recaptured and the public prosecutor’s office has now charged 74 of them.
Lasso declared a state of emergency in the national prison system and dismissed the director of the national prison authority, replacing him with a general.
Violent incidents occur frequently in Ecuador’s overcrowded jails. In February, violent clashes between rival gangs in several prisons left 79 dead.
dpa/NAN
