A state of emergency has been declared by Ecuador’s president after the emergence of a prison battle among gang members that killed at least 116 people of which 5 were found to have been beheaded, and injured 80.
“We are working to avoid further deaths,” said President Guillermo Lasso, following the “sorrowful” episode at Ecuador’s prison, quoted by AP.
Lasso regrets that Ecuador’s prisons are being turned into “territories for power disputes by criminal gangs,” adding that he would firmly act to regain control of the Litoral prison to prevent any violent behaviors.
Located in the outskirts of Guayaquil, the prison’s riot initiated Tuesday morning leading to the death of 116 inmates and 80 injuries.
Ecuador police said on Twitter that at least two officers had died in the clashes, adding that they were able to capture explosives and “more evidence” inside the facility.
During a news conference, head of the Intelligence Bureau Fausto Cabo commented on Wednesday on the situation in the Ecuadorean prison saying it is more than a penitentiary issue.
“This is a threat against the state,” he stated, “by a power equal or higher to the state’s.”
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