20 dead and dozens injured left confrontation in Ecuador prison
The riot occurred because a gang wanted to control the whole place and another group of inmates rose up against them.
In the El Turi prison in Ecuador, a riot left an average of 20 dead and more than 12 injured this Sunday, as a result of a confrontation.
The communication secretariat of the Ecuadorian presidency reported that the altercation took place in the "El Turi" prison, located in the city of Cuenca, in the south of the country; place in which last year 320 prisoners died in different riots.
According to official figures, so far there are 20 deaths, while the injured are being treated by mobile brigades outside the prison and others who are more serious were taken to nearby hospitals. While another 90 inmates were evicted from the place, with the aim of safeguarding their lives.
The Minister of the Interior, Patricio Carrillo, mentioned in a press conference that the situation is under control, but not completely, since the prison system in this country has strong weaknesses. For this reason, every two hours they will be issuing reports on the situation of "El Turi".
He also added that the mobilization of more than 800 police officers and the Armed Forces to this penitentiary center is helping to normalize the situation.
Origin of the riot
Carrillo reported that the problem began because an organization wanted to have total control of the site and another group of inmates rose up against them and this triggered the riot.
Likewise, it was learned that since noon on Sunday, prisoners and policemen could be seen on the roofs of the prison, but despite this, Carrillo ruled out the possibility of decreeing a state of emergency due to the prison crisis affecting the country.
For his part, the Minister of the Interior sent condolences to the relatives of the deceased and reported that the situation is not yet under control, and there is more tension in the security pavilion where the massacre occurred.
The relatives of the inmates remain outside the prison compound waiting for answers about the deceased, but so far they have not given more information.
Bernarda Ordóñez, Secretary of Human Rights of Ecuador, indicated that for now the bodies have not been identified, nor are there details of the state in which the bodies were found, but it is presumed that they were mutilated.