Agency Report
Prison inmates from rival gangs in Ecuador fought each other with guns, explosives and blades in a bloodbath that left at least 68 dead in the same prison where a riot in September claimed 119 lives, officials said Saturday.
Authorities said late Saturday they had re-gained control of the prison in Guayaquil for a second time in as many days after President Guillermo Lasso’s spokesman said fighting had again broken out earlier in the day between inmates from rival gangs tied to drug trafficking rings.
In the initial riot that began Friday night prisoners fought with “savagery,” said Pablo Arosemena, governor of the province of Guayas where the prison is located.
The riot began around 7:00 pm Friday when prisoners tried to enter Block 2 of the jail where their rivals were held, firing gunshots, detonating explosives and swinging machetes, and prompting police to move in.
