Ecuador: 13 Inmates Killed, 2 Injured After Prison Riot Breaks in Santo Domingo

At least 13 inmates were killed while two others were injured in a prison in Ecuador, following a deadly prison riot.

According to Associated Press, the prison riot broke out in the Bellavista Prison in Santo Domingo. The said jail is located 44 miles southwest of Ecuador's capital, Quito.

The incident was reported on Monday at around 3:30 p.m., per BNO News. Images shared by the local media showed that some of the victims of the prison riot were mutilated and beheaded.

The identities of the victims of the most recent prison riot in Ecuador were unclear as of Monday. Authorities also did not mention other details of the prison riot, like who was responsible for the violence.

Reports noted that there were no injuries or casualties among the security forces in the said Ecuador prison.

At around six in the evening on Monday, the prison system reported that the Armed Forces and the National Police has taken control of the prison.

Ecuador: Prison Riot Also Occurred in the Same Jail 2 Months Ago

The prison riot on Monday occurred two months after the same incident happened at the Bellavista prison in Santo Domingo, Ecuador. However, the prison riot two months ago was more fatal than Monday's tragedy.

According to reports, the previous incident killed at least 44 inmates, with the authorities claiming that they found firearms, explosives, and other weapons in the aftermath of the tragedy.

The Guardian noted that photos of the prison riot on May 9 showed mutilated bodies strewn in a courtyard in the jail.

Ecuador Police Chief Fausto Salinas said in an interview that the prison riot in May occurred after the transfer of a gang leader from another prison, known as Anchundia, triggered the violence in Santo Domingo. However, BBC said that the prison riot started when rival gangs Los Lobos and R7 began to fight.

Reports noted that at least 108 inmates escaped during the prison riot. In addition, 112 inmates also made it out of the jail but they were recaptured by the authorities.

The May 9 prison riot was known to be the first large-scale violent incident in Santo Domingo prison this year.

Why Do Ecuador Prison Riots Occur?

There are several factors according to experts that contribute to the prison riots in Ecuador's prison systems.

Experts believe that overcrowding, lack of rehabilitation programs for inmates, shortage of trained staff, and insufficient infrastructure contribute to violence inside the facilities.

Ecuador has at least 65 prison facilities that can house up to 30,000 people. However, the country's jails have at least 39,000 inmates, with inmates who have not yet received their sentence.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written By: Joshua Summers

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