At least 68 inmates are dead and a further 25 injured after clashes between gangs in an Ecuador prison, authorities said on Saturday.
The prosecutor's office said that it opened an investigation into the violent clashes, which started late on Friday and continued until early on Saturday in a prison in the port city of Guayaquil, on the Pacific coast.
Early on Saturday, the National Police said that an operation was under way in the Guayas N1 detention centre to restore order and bring the prison under control.
The prosecutor's office said that the death toll was based on "preliminary information."
Local media cited police as saying that the clashes started at about 6:30 pm (2330 GMT) on Friday. A rifle, two guns and 10 sticks of dynamite were seized during the police operation.
Local authorities reported late on Saturday that there were further clashes at the prison, with the situation brought under control within a few hours. Some 900 police officers were at the scene to keep order, including 500 inside the prison, said a statement by Ecuador's Presidency.
There have been repeated violent clashes in recent months in Ecuador, including in prisons. At the end of September, more than 100 people died in bloody gang fights in the Guayaquil prison.
In July, riots in prisons in Cotopaxi and Guayaquil killed a total of 21 people.
In February, 79 people were killed in violent clashes between rival gangs in several prisons.
Source: DPA
