Violence at the Turi prison, near the city of Cuenca, started early Sunday due to a leadership dispute among incarcerated members of a gang known as The Wolves, Gen. Carlos Cabrera, the commander of Ecuador’s national police force, told reporters at a press conference.
Cabrera said 19 of the victims were killed due to “acts of violence” and one was killed after ingesting a chemical substance. At least 11 others were injured, CNN Espanol reported.
Authorities are working to identify the bodies of the victims to inform their relatives, he added.
Five other inmates were injured during the riot, authorities added.
Ecuador’s prison system has been under a state of emergency since deadly clashes in September 2021, when 118 people were killed during clashes that involved automatic weapons and even grenades.
More than 300 inmates were killed in prison violence in 2021, according to figures from…
