AA / Laura Gamba
At least 43 inmates were killed when a riot broke out in a prison in Ecuador on Monday, authorities in the South American country reported.
According to the Public Ministry, the incident took place at the Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas Social Rehabilitation Center, located regarding 70 km from the Ecuadorian capital, Quito.
Although the government confirmed on Monday morning that the riot had killed 20 detainees, the authorities updated this report on Monday followingnoon.
Dozens of relatives of detainees thronged outside the prison to hear from their family members.
According to the Minister of the Interior, Patricio Carrillo, “the escape of around 40 people was prevented” by the armed forces and the police.
President Guillermo Lasso expressed his condolences and said the new riot was the result of “gang violence”.
“My deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of those who died in the Santo Domingo prison riot. This is an unfortunate consequence of gang violence,” he said from Israel, where he arrived for a three-day official visit.
This new tragedy comes a month following a similar riot that left 20 dead.
According to authorities, some 350 inmates have died in Ecuadorian prisons since February 2021, victims of rampant violence between gangs linked to drug trafficking.
*Translated from English by Mourad Belhaj
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