QUITO, Dec 8 (Reuters) – Ecuadorean police found 13 people dead in a prison in the country’s southwest on Sunday, Ecuador’s prison agency SNAI said on Monday.
Autopsies and routine procedures were being performed to determine the official causes of death at the prison in the port town Machala, the agency added.
Police initiated a review of the prison after an explosion occurred outside its perimeter.
The prison has been the site of other episodes of violence in recent months. In November, the SNAI reported at least 31 deaths after a day of rioting, with most of the deaths attributed to asphyxiation.
President Daniel Noboa’s administration, which has pledged to take a tough stance on crime, blames ongoing violence in Ecuador’s prisons on rival gangs battling for dominance and territorial control.
(Reporting by Alejandra Valencia; Writing by Aida Pelaez-Fernandez; Editing by Brendan O’Boyle)
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