Ecuador prison violence leaves at least 68 dead, dozens injured

FILE PHOTO: FILE PHOTO: Inmates of the Regional de Guayaquil prison hold banners reading "We want peace," "The law is killing us," "Peace, no to violence" after unrest was reported since the country's worst-ever riots broke out a few days ago at the Penitenciaria del Litoral, in Guayaquil, Ecuador October 2, 2021. REUTERS/Vicente Gaibor del Pino/File Photo/File Photo

GUAYAQUIL (Reuters) - At least 68 prisoners were killed and more than two dozen injured in overnight violence at Ecuador's Penitenciaria del Litoral prison, the government said on Saturday, in what officials characterize as fights among rival gangs.

The penitentiary, located in the southern city of Guayaquil, is the same prison where 119 inmates were killed in late September in the country's worst incident of prison violence in recent history.