QUITO (Reuters) – At least 12 prisoners died and one other 10 had been injured throughout a gang confrontation at a prison in Ecuador, the federal government mentioned on Sunday, in a brand new episode of prison violence in the Andean nation.
Violence in Ecuadorean prisons, which the federal government says is expounded to gang disputes over drug trafficking, killed 316 individuals final yr.
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights says the system is blighted by state abandonment and the absence of a complete coverage, in addition to poor situations for inmates.
The confrontation on the El Turi prison in town of Cuenca came about early on Sunday, Interior Minister Patricio Carrillo advised journalists.
Prisoners had been attempting to achieve management of the prison’s inside, he mentioned.
“Up to now 12 victims have been tallied on the outside half and in the inside elements work continues to be being completed and an analysis being made,” Carrillo mentioned.
“There is a corporation that desires to have absolute energy in the inside of the prison and there are some cells which have rebelled in opposition to them,” he mentioned.
The authorities is adopting measures to regain management of the prison, Carrillo added. Some 800 police and navy personnel as current there, the federal government mentioned earlier on Sunday.
About 90 inmates had been evacuated after the incident, 10 of whom had been injured, the pinnacle of the penitentiary system, Pablo Ramirez mentioned.
There had been no experiences of escaped inmates, the federal government mentioned.
(Reporting by Alexandra Valencia; Writing by Julia Symmes Cobb; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
