Ecuador prison shoot-out kills 68 after drug baron’s release

AT LEAST 68 inmates were killed and more than two dozen injured in violence between rival gangs at a prison in Ecuador over the weekend.

The night of violence at Litoral Penitentiary, in the eastern port city of Guayaquil, has been blamed on disputes between drug traffickers, with the local governor saying a gang leader’s release had left a power vacuum.

Videos on social media posted by detainees showed them begging for help to stop the violence as shots and explosions sounded in the background.

Dozens gathered outside the prison on Saturday afternoon waiting for news of loved ones, many of whom had not been heard from since Friday afternoon. Cristina Monserrat, 58, said she had not reached her younger brother, who had been in prison for a year.

“What is happening inside is reprehensible, people killing each other, and the saddest thing is they have no conscience,” Ms Monserrat said, adding that Guillermo Lasso, the president, should do more to help the poor.

The prison system is under the spotlight for overcrowding and poor sanitary and living conditions. In September 119 inmates were killed at Litoral Penitentiary in the country’s worst prison violence in recent history.

Mr Lasso declared a 60-day state of emergency that month, which freed up government funding and allowed for military assistance. On Saturday, he called on the constitutional court to allow the military to enter jails. The court said a solution would require more than emergency measures.

Further disturbances on Saturday were under control by nightfall, the government said, adding it was meeting with rights groups and the UN.