A violent prison riot in southern Ecuador has left 13 inmates and one prison guard dead, underscoring the deepening crisis inside the country’s overcrowded and gang-dominated penitentiary system, police confirmed on Sunday.

The bloodshed erupted in the early morning hours inside a prison in Machala, a city near Ecuador’s border with Peru. According to police commander Colonel William Calle, rival gangs engaged in a brutal armed confrontation, using firearms, homemade explosives, grenades, and bombs. The clash lasted for approximately 40 minutes before security forces managed to partially regain control of the facility.

A masked officer speaking to local broadcaster Ecuavisa said that inmates opened fire, triggering an emergency response by prison guards and police units. One guard was killed as he entered the wing, while several others were taken hostage during the chaos. Authorities later managed to rescue the hostages as additional forces secured key sections of the prison.

Police reported that 14 other people were injured, and an unknown number of prisoners escaped during the fighting. By the afternoon, 13 escapees had been recaptured, while search operations continued for others believed to be on the run.

Officials confirmed that the deceased inmates were members of two of Ecuador’s most powerful criminal organizations: Los Choneros and Los Lobos, rival drug trafficking gangs that have turned the country’s prison system into battlegrounds for control of narcotics routes, arms, and extortion networks.

Earlier this month, the United States designated both gangs as foreign terrorist organizations, a move that highlighted growing international concern over Ecuador’s escalating role in the transnational drug trade. Once considered one of South America’s more stable and peaceful countries, Ecuador has increasingly become a major hub for cocaine trafficking, with ports along the Pacific coast used to ship drugs toward North America and Europe.

The riot comes amid chronic overcrowding in Ecuadorian prisons, with the Machala facility reportedly holding nearly twice its intended capacity. Poor infrastructure, lack of guards, and the infiltration of criminal groups inside detention centers have allowed gangs to operate with near-total control over internal prison life.

Human rights organizations and security analysts warn that unless structural prison reforms are urgently implemented — including improved surveillance, separation of rival gangs, and stronger state control — Ecuador’s penitentiary system is likely to remain a flashpoint for lethal violence.

The government has deployed additional military and police units to secure the area and has launched a full investigation into how inmates obtained military-grade weapons and explosives inside a high-security facility.

Authorities said further security operations are expected in the coming days as Ecuador grapples with one of the most violent periods in its modern history. (ILKHA)