A day of violent armed rioting at a prison in southwest Ecuador on Sunday led to the deaths of at least 31 inmates, the country’s prisons agency said. Twenty-seven prisoners in port town Machala died due to asphyxiation and ‘immediate death by hanging,’ according to a statement shared on X by the SNAI prisons agency. There were no other details about how the prisoners died. Authorities said they were still working to ‘fully clarify the facts,’ and forensic medical personnel were on site to verify information

At least four people were killed and dozens injured after a violent riot erupted early Sunday at a prison in Ecuador, according to the country’s prison authority, SNAI. The unrest began around 3:00 a.m., when residents living nearby reported hearing gunfire, explosions, and cries for help coming from inside the facility. Tactical and elite police units were deployed immediately and eventually brought the situation under control.

SNAI confirmed that four inmates died during the violence, while 33 prisoners and one police officer were injured. Authorities have not yet released the identities of those killed or confirmed whether the incident was linked to inter-gang fighting, though officials said the riot was triggered by a reorganization of inmates into a new maximum-security wing.

Ecuador’s prisons have become flashpoints for extreme violence in recent years, serving as operational hubs for rival drug-trafficking gangs. Since 2021, more than 500 inmates have been killed nationwide in brutal clashes, including mass decapitations and arson. President Daniel Noboa’s administration has blamed the bloodshed on gangs fighting for control, as Ecuador’s strategic location has turned it into a major transit route for global cocaine trafficking.