At least two people have died and six others have been injured in a new confrontation at the Litoral Penitentiary, located in the Ecuadorian city of Guayaquil, which has already been the scene of several altercations that have left dozens dead in recent years.
According to the National Service of Attention to Persons Deprived of Liberty and Adolescent Offenders (SNAI), the incident occurred in the midst of the transfer of more than a thousand prisoners to other prisons and all the victims are inmates, reports the newspaper ‘El Universo’.
Despite the incident, the authorities have continued with the process of transferring some of the prisoners, an operation aimed at reducing overcrowding and improving infrastructure and security conditions for those deprived of liberty.
The transfer is taking place while detonations continue to be registered inside the prison and after a strong explosion shook the surroundings of the Penitenciaría del Litoral early in the morning, leaving at least four police officers injured.
Since the beginning of the week, Ecuador has been the scene of a series of violent acts, mainly in the provinces of Guayas – where Guayaquil is located – and Esmeraldas, which have resulted in the death of at least five police officers and the arrest of more than fifty suspects.
Following the violence, the country’s president, Guillermo Lasso, announced the suspension of a visit to the United States and declared a state of emergency in both provinces, also implementing a curfew which will be in force until mid-December.
In addition, Lasso has called a meeting of the State and Public Security Council (Cosepe) for this Thursday to evaluate the security strategy and will draw up a plan of action in response to the violent acts.
