At least 15 prisoners have been killed in clashes between inmates at a prison in Guayaquil, Ecuador. The authorities were tight-lipped on Tuesday about the riot at the maximum-security prison, which has been hit by several outbreaks of unrest and rioting.
Helicopters were seen flying over the Litoral prison while relatives of prisoners gathered outside the walls.
At least 119 prisoners were killed in disturbances that broke out at the prison in 2021. Then, heavily armed police units were deployed to quell the clashes and rioting.
The prison in the coastal city is Ecuador's largest, and can hold up to 10,000 convicted prisoners, despite being built for half as many inmates.
Rival criminal gangs, often with links to extensive drug trafficking, frequently clash with each other in Ecuador's prisons.
