The death toll from a prison riot in Ecuador rose to more than 100, with 52 other inmates reported injured. The riot started between rival gangs in the overpopulated and understaffed prison system.

Ecuador's prison bureau confirmed the count through a tweet on Wednesday evening after Tuesday's riot at a prison in Guayaquil, southwest of the capital, Quito,  Aljazeera reported.

Regional police commander Fausto Buenano earlier said that the death toll from the prison riot was at 30. Buenano noted that the bodies found in the prison's pipelines were still being identified.

Police and military officials had managed to take back control in the prison five hours after the riot ensued. Buenano said several weapons had been seized.

Ecuador President Guillermo Lasso said it was unfortunate that criminal groups are attempting to turn prisons into a battleground for power disputes, Reuters reported. He added that he prayed they could avoid more loss of human life.

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Prison Riot in Ecuador 

Ecuador's prosecutor's office noted that six of the slain prisoners at Penitenciaria del Littoral had been beheaded.

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights has condemned the violence, while Human Rights Watch urged Ecuador's government to launch a full probe to hold those responsible accountable.

Lasso said the government would allot more funds for the overcrowded prison system to build new wards and install new equipment to improve security.

More than 500 officers were involved in controlling the riot inside the prison, with military officers providing assistance the following day.

The prison riot that occurred on Tuesday followed a previous similar wave of violence in two of the country's prisons, which had killed 22 inmates.

The wave of riots prompted Ecuador's president to declare a state of emergency in the prison system, The Washington Post reported.

Three prison brawls in February had caused the deaths of 80 inmates. It was considered at the time to be the worst prison riots in Ecuador's history.

The fighting had ensued between rival gangs after the killing of the leader of Los Choneros, a local gang that has risen to prominence for controlling drug-trafficking routes between Colombia and Ecuador.

Bolívar Garzón, the country's newly appointed director of prisons, said it was unfortunate that this is happening to their country, calling the series of prison riots a "particularly difficult year." The newly appointed director of prisons noted that he hopes they can start to initiate change.

The government launched a new program in 2019 to improve infrastructure and technology in its prisons. However, it did cut the project's budget the following year by more than 70 percent.

The country's Ombudsman's Office noted that with more than 100 deaths this week, the death toll in prisons has surpassed 221 this year. Last year, there were 103 killings in prisons. Garzon said the president's state of emergency in the prison system is still being imposed.

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This article is owned by Latin Post

Written by: Mary Webber

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