A night of chaos and bloodshed inside a prison in southwest Ecuador has become one of the deadliest events the country has seen this year, leaving 31 inmates dead and dozens more injured. The violence unfolded inside the Machala detention center — a facility already notorious for gang wars and mass killings — and exposed, once again, the grim reality of Ecuador’s collapsing prison system.
According to Ecuador’s national prisons agency, SNAI, the riot began around 3 a.m. and spiraled into hours of unrestrained violence. Residents living near the facility reported hearing bursts of gunfire, explosions, and desperate screams echoing through the night. By sunrise, the toll was staggering: 27 inmates found hanged or asphyxiated, four others killed during clashes, and at least 33 prisoners and one police officer injured.
In an overnight statement shared on X, SNAI confirmed that forensic teams were still working to determine the exact cause of the deaths, though early evidence indicated mass executions. “We are working to fully clarify the facts,” the agency said, describing the scene as chaotic and “deeply disturbing.”
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