Ecuador prison death toll rises to 20, authorities regain control

By Trend

Ecuador's government has retaken control of a prison in the city of Cuenca where 20 people were killed in a violent confrontation over the weekend, it said on Monday, Trend reports citing Reuters.

The violence at El Turi prison took place in the maximum security cell block and was the result of disputes between members of the same gang for control of the wing, the government said.

It was the latest incident of violence in Ecuadorean prisons, which the government usually attributes to gang confrontations over drug trafficking. Last year prison violence killed 316 people.