Something went terribly wrong behind the walls of a prison in southwest Ecuador early Sunday morning.
What began as a routine security operation quickly spiraled into a deadly scene, leaving families and authorities grappling with the scale of the carnage.
A violent riot inside the Machala prison has claimed at least 31 inmates’ lives, making it one of the deadliest episodes in Ecuador this year, according to the National Prisons Agency (SNAI). In an overnight statement on X, SNAI reported that 27 victims died from asphyxiation or “immediate death by hanging.” Forensic teams are on-site to confirm the details.
The unrest erupted around 3:00 a.m. local time. Residents nearby described terrifying sounds of gunfire, explosions, and screams echoing from within the facility. Elite tactical police units were deployed to restore order, eventually regaining control after hours of chaos. Initially, only four inmates were reported dead, but authorities discovered more victims as they assessed the scene. In total, 33 inmates and one police officer sustained injuries.
Authorities have not confirmed whether rival gang factions were directly involved. However, Machala prison had recently undergone a reorganization, a move often linked to turf disputes in Ecuador’s volatile penitentiary system. The country’s prisons have increasingly become strongholds for drug-trafficking gangs, with more than 500 inmates killed in violent clashes since 2021 over control of lucrative territories and cocaine routes. A 2024 Insight Crime report described Ecuador’s prison network as the “epicenter of organized crime” in the nation.
Machala has a history of brutal incidents. In September, clashes left 14 inmates dead and 14 injured, with some escaping before recapture. Just days later, 17 more inmates died in a riot in Esmeraldas. Graphic images from that event, verified by AFP, depicted bodies strewn across cells, highlighting the extreme brutality common in Ecuadorian prisons.
Families often gather outside prisons during outbreaks, desperate for news. One woman told AFP she rushed to the facility after neighbors reported gunfire and screams, only to be directed to the morgue—a grim and chilling routine for many Ecuadorian relatives.
Ecuador, historically considered relatively safe, now faces a surge in drug-related violence. Located between Colombia and Peru, the world’s largest cocaine producers, the country has become a key trafficking hub, with over 70% of global cocaine shipments passing through its ports. In recent years, violence has escalated sharply, including prison massacres, bombings, assassinations, and armed attacks. Insight Crime notes that the crisis “can be traced directly to the country’s prison system and the criminal networks that have evolved inside it.”
As investigations continue into Sunday’s massacre, Ecuador confronts a stark reality: its prisons—once institutions of containment—have become battlegrounds in a broader war threatening the nation.
Conclusion
The Machala prison riot underscores the deadly intersection of organized crime and systemic failures in Ecuador’s penitentiary system. With gangs controlling prisons and violence spilling into surrounding communities, the country faces a harsh truth: without major reforms, these institutions will remain sites of terror rather than rehabilitation.