13 killed in Ecuador prison riot

QUITO: At least 13 inmates were killed and another two injured in a prison riot in the Ecuadorean city of Santo Domingo following a fight among inmates in the prison.

The prison riot occurred on Monday.

The National Police, the Armed Forces and the Ministry of Public Health were called to the emergency and the situation was brought under control, the National Comprehensive Care Service for Persons Deprived of Liberty said in a report.

The same prison was hit by violence on May 9, resulting in the death of 44 inmates, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Ecuadorean prison system has been afflicted with a serious crisis due to confrontations between rival drug trafficking gangs.

In 2021, the country saw a wave of prison riots that left more than 300 inmates dead. The government has declared a crackdown on drug trafficking.