Ecuador’s Machala Prison Violence Leaves 31 Dead, Including 27 Asphyxiated Inmates
Machala facility erupts in deadly gang violence.
Ecuador’s Machala prison in El Oro province descended into chaos early Sunday when a pre-dawn armed riot claimed four lives and left dozens wounded, only for authorities to later discover 27 more inmates brutally asphyxiated by fellow prisoners in a chilling escalation of violence. The total death toll of 31 marks one of the bloodiest single-day incidents in the nation’s troubled penal system.
The carnage began around 3 a.m. local time as gunfire, explosions, and desperate screams echoed beyond the prison walls, alarming nearby residents. Elite police units stormed the facility and regained control within hours, reporting four immediate fatalities and 33 injured inmates plus one wounded officer. However, a grim secondary search revealed the 27 additional bodies, all bearing marks of strangulation.
Prison authorities confirmed the 27 victims were killed “among themselves” through suspension asphyxiation, a method suggesting coordinated executions rather than random violence. Forensic teams remained on site Monday to verify identities and circumstances, while officials pledged a full investigation into the sequence of events that transformed a riot into mass murder.
Also Read: Trump Says US Destroyed Fentanyl-Loaded Submarine, Sends Surviving Traffickers to Latin America
The bloodshed is widely linked to gang rivalries over drug trafficking routes, with Ecuador’s overcrowded prisons serving as battlegrounds for cartels. Speculation also points to inmate resistance against planned transfers to President Daniel Noboa’s new maximum-security facility set to open this month. Just six weeks ago, a similar clash at Machala left 13 inmates and one guard dead.
As Ecuador grapples with over 500 prison deaths in gang wars since 2021, the Machala massacre underscores the government’s struggle to contain organized crime within its penal system. Families of victims gathered outside the gates demanding answers, while human rights groups called for urgent reforms to end the cycle of brutality behind bars.
Also Read: Super Typhoon Fung-wong Leaves Trail of Destruction in Philippines, Over 1.4 Million Displaced
