Gang warfare kills 44 in Ecuador prison

QUITO: A clash between rival Ecuadorian gangs has killed 44 inmates, little more than a month after another prison riot resulted in 20 deaths.

Interior Minister Patricio Carrillo said one group of inmates left their cells to attack another inside the Bellavista lockup in Santo Domingo, west of Quito.

‘‘It’s evident that those who lost their lives were executed by knives.’’

Relatives were offered help in transporting the bodies to their home towns.

Firearms, explosives and other weapons were found after police assault teams helped retake control of the prison. Authorities said 220 prisoners escaped during the violence, of whom 112 had been recaptured. Prison gang leaders were transferred to other jails.

Human rights group Amnesty International reported in March that at least 316 prisoners died in clashes in Ecuadorian prisons during 2020.

PHOTO: REUTERS Relatives of inmates gather outside the Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas prison in Ecuador after authorities reported they had quelled a riot there.