Identification of bodies began as prison riots in Ecuador left 68 dead

Ecuadorian prisons have become a ground for gang violence. On Saturday, 68 people were killed after violence broke out at the country's largest prisons in Guayaquil. The authorities have now initiated the process of identifying the dead bodies of inmates while hundreds gather outside to know the well-being of their jailed relatives.

As per reports, President Guillermo Lasso called a "crisis cabinet" after at least 68 people were killed in an outbreak of brutal prison violence on Saturday.

Prosecutors say at least 68 prisoners were killed and another 25 injured during Saturday's clashes at Litoral Penitentiary, one of Ecuador's largest prisons in the coastal city of Guayaquil.

Hundreds of prisoners have died in major riots and gang violence in Ecuadorian prisons in the past year. The Litoral Penitentiary facility saw 118 people killed in September during conflicts that automatically involved guns and even grenades.

So far, 34 bodies have been identified since Saturday's bloodshed. They will be delivered to families in the following hours.

"The Human Rights Secretariat will deliver the coffins to the families in the coming hours while Criminology continues to work on identifying the other dead bodies," the Ecuadorian government declared in a statement.

The government is also giving psychological help to the victims' families, the statement noted.

According to the governor, the deadly clashes appear to be an instance of gang violence, who said the prisoners "not only used weapons and detonations, but burned mattresses, and more."

Ecuador's prison system has been in a state of emergency since the deadly September conflict. More than 300 prisoners have been murdered in prison violence this year, as to figures from Ecuador Prison Service SNAI.