QUITO — A prison riot at the maximum-security Penitentiary of Quito spiraled into a major security crisis Friday as rival gang factions clashed inside the facility and armed supporters on the outside stormed a nearby police station, killing four officers and taking at least two hostages.
The violence began when Los Lobos and Los Choneros factions — two of Ecuador’s most powerful prison gangs — exchanged gunfire inside Cell Block D, triggering a lockdown that lasted more than 12 hours. By nightfall, at least 31 people were confirmed dead and 67 injured, many in brutal fashion, according to the national prison authority.
President Daniel Noboa declared a national emergency and ordered the military into all 68 prisons nationwide. The United States and Colombia issued travel advisories for Ecuador, citing “imminent threat to foreign nationals.”
Written by Diego Vargas, Latin America Correspondent
Written by Diego Vargas