58 inmates killed in Ecuador prison clashes

At least 58 prisoners died and another 12 were injured in clashes in a jail in the Ecuadorian city of Guayaquil, local authorities reported on Saturday, reported Xinhua.

The clashes occurred between Friday night and early Saturday in the Litoral Penitentiary and the police intervened to regain control of the situation.

The incident was driven by power struggles between groups linked to drug trafficking.

According to the local newspaper "Expreso," during a prison inspection, agents found a rifle and a dozen sticks of dynamite and experts from the National Directorate for Crimes against Life (Dinased) began to conduct operations in pavilion 2 of the prison where the clashes took place.

"The specialized agents are guarded by tactical commandos, who are walking on the roofs to monitor the area and anticipate any attack that may come from the courtyards," the agency said.

Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso decreed in September a state of emergency in the country's prisons after a bloody confrontation in the Litoral Penitentiary left 118 dead.