At least 12 dead in Ecuador prison violence
QUITO (Reuters) – Not less than 12 prisoners died and one other 10 had been injured throughout a gang confrontation at a jail in Ecuador, the federal government stated on Sunday, in a brand new episode of jail violence within the Andean nation.
Violence in Ecuadorean prisons, which the federal government says is said to gang disputes over drug trafficking, killed 316 folks final 12 months.
The Inter-American Fee on Human Rights says the system is blighted by state abandonment and the absence of a complete coverage, in addition to poor circumstances for inmates.
The confrontation on the El Turi jail within the metropolis of Cuenca happened early on Sunday, Inside Minister Patricio Carrillo informed journalists.
Prisoners had been attempting to realize management of the jail’s inside, he stated.
“To this point 12 victims have been tallied on the outside half and within the inside elements work continues to be being completed and an analysis being made,” Carrillo stated.
“There is a company that wishes to have absolute energy within the inside of the jail and there are some cells which have rebelled towards them,” he stated.
The federal government is adopting measures to regain management of the jail, Carrillo added. Some 800 police and army personnel as current there, the federal government stated earlier on Sunday.
About 90 inmates had been evacuated after the incident, 10 of whom had been injured, the top of the penitentiary system, Pablo Ramirez stated.
There have been no stories of escaped inmates, the federal government stated.
(Reporting by Alexandra Valencia; Writing by Julia Symmes Cobb; Modifying by Chizu Nomiyama)
