A deadly prison riot in Machala, Ecuador, left at least 31 inmates dead, most from “asphyxiation and immediate death by hanging,” according to the national prisons agency, SNAI. Forensic teams are investigating as officials work to “fully clarify the facts.”

The riot began around 3:00 a.m., with locals hearing “gunfire, explosions, and screams for help.” Elite police units entered to regain control, but by afternoon, the death toll had surged. In total, 33 inmates and one police officer were injured.

Authorities have not confirmed whether rival gangs were involved, though the prison recently underwent a reorganization — often a spark for gang violence. Ecuador’s prisons, described by Insight Crime as the “epicenter of organized crime,” have become strongholds for drug traffickers. Since 2021, more than 500 inmates have been killed in gang clashes.

The Machala prison has seen repeated bloodshed; in September, 14 prisoners were killed, followed by 17 more in Esmeraldas days later. Outside the prison, desperate families gathered for news — one woman told AFP she rushed there after hearing the chaos and was sent to the morgue.

Ecuador’s crisis, officials say, stems from prisons overtaken by narco-gangs, turning “institutions of containment” into battlegrounds in a nationwide war on drugs.