Locals heard \\\’gunfire, explosions, and cries for help coming…See more

A day of violent armed rioting at a prison in southwest Ecuador on Sunday led to the deaths of at least 31 inmates, the country’s prisons agency said.

Twenty-seven prisoners in the port town of Machala died due to asphyxiation and “immediate death by hanging,” according to a statement shared on X by the SNAI prisons agency. There were no other details about how the prisoners died.

Authorities said they were still working to “fully clarify the facts,” and forensic medical personnel were on site to verify information.

**How the Violence Unfolded**

Earlier Sunday, SNAI reported that four people had been killed due to the deadly rioting, which was later brought under control by tactical police. The incident broke out around 3:00 a.m. (0800 GMT) at the prison, where local residents recalled hearing gunfire, explosions, and cries for help coming from inside the prison’s walls.

Elite police teams entered the prison immediately and regained control after the riot broke out, the agency said. Four people died in the morning violence, while 33 inmates and one police officer were injured. That riot was prompted by a reorganization of the prisoners in a new maximum security facility, the statement said.

**A Growing Crisis**

Ecuadoran prisons have become operational centers for rival drug-trafficking gangs, with over 500 inmates killed in fighting between groups competing to control the lucrative but illegal trade. They are now considered the “epicenter” of the country’s organized crime, according to a 2024 report by Insight Crime.

President Daniel Noboa’s administration, which has pledged to take a tough stance on crime, blames the violence on rival gangs battling for dominance and territorial control.

In September, a riot caused by gang fighting in the same prison left 14 people dead and another 14 wounded. Days later, another 17 people were killed in a prison riot in the northern city of Esmeraldas, near the border with Colombia.

**Ecuador’s Violent Transformation**

Nestled between Peru and Colombia, the world’s two largest cocaine producers, Ecuador has become a major hub for the global cocaine trade. More than 70 percent of all cocaine produced in the world now passes through Ecuador’s ports, according to government data.

The tiny country of some 18 million people has become engulfed in violence in recent years and is now one of the most dangerous places in Latin America. The roots of this crisis “can be traced directly to the country’s prison system and the criminal networks that have evolved inside of it,” Insight Crime found.