Deadly Riot at Machala Prison: 4 Inmates Killed, More Than 30 Injured

Deadly Riot at Machala Prison Leaves 4 Dead and Dozens Wounded

Four inmates were killed and more than 30 others were injured on Sunday after a violent riot erupted at a prison in Machala, a coastal city in southwest Ecuador, authorities said.

Officials from Ecuador's national prison oversight agency said the unrest was linked to a planned "reorganization of inmates" tied to transfers ahead of the opening of a new maximum-security facility in another province. Authorities reported that they regained control of the complex after the violence. One police officer was also injured during the incident.

Prison officials did not release the identities of the deceased and had not confirmed whether the disturbance was the result of inter-gang fighting, Agence France-Presse reported. The conditions of those wounded were not immediately available.

Context

Less than two months earlier, 14 inmates died at the same facility in what authorities described as a dispute between rival gangs. Last month, a separate clash between drug gangs at a prison in Esmeraldas—near the Colombian border—claimed at least 17 lives. Since 2021, more than 500 people have died in prison riots across Ecuador.

Experts and officials say Ecuador's prisons have become among the deadliest in Latin America because of chronic overcrowding, corruption and weak state control. Gangs with links to drug trafficking networks in Colombia and Mexico have expanded their influence behind bars, often accessing weapons smuggled from outside and continuing to coordinate criminal activity from inside prison walls.

Authorities have not yet outlined concrete measures to prevent further unrest, and investigations into the latest violence are ongoing.