A scene of chaos. About forty prisoners died in clashes between rival gangs on Monday, May 9, in the prison of Bellavista, in Equateur, west of Quito, from where a hundred other detainees were able to escape thanks to the violence. According to the latest report from the Interior Ministry, headed by Patricio Carrillo, 44 detainees died and ten were injured. A previous toll reported 43 dead.
The Ecuadorian police chief describes a scene with “the attackers acted with great cruelty”, while the violence was followed by a mass escape. On the spot, wounded with facial wounds were taken care of by ambulances and relatives of detainees crowded around the penitentiary center to try to obtain information, AFP noted.
“The Regrettable Result of Gang Violence”
While the authorities have given no figures on the total number of escapees, 112 of them may have been “recaptured”but 108 were still “missing worn” Monday afternoon, according to the chief of police, General Fausto Salinas. “250 police, 200 soldiers and additional reinforcements are on the way”, he detailed. With a capacity of 1,200 places, the Bellavista prison currently accommodates 1,700 prisoners.
“This is the unfortunate result of gang violence”, lamented for his part on Twitter President Guillermo Lasso, on tour in Israel. He addressed his “sincere condolences to the families” deceased persons.
Mi más sentido pésame a los familiares y seres queridos de los fallecidos en el amotinamiento en la cárcel de Sto. Domingo. This is a lamentable result of violence between bands. Minister of the Interior @CarrilloRosero está a cargo de los operatives para recuperar la paz.
— Guillermo Lasso (@LassoGuillermo) May 9, 2022
The clashes between members of two rival gangs, the “Wolves” and the “R7”, broke out around 3 a.m., said the Minister of the Interior, causing the outbreak of “security protocols” to contain the “disorders” in jail. “The majority of victims, if not almost 100%, were killed with knives, not firearms”and “their mutilated corpses left on the spot”. “They were executed in the common rooms, in the cells”then “there was a massive escape attempt” with the use of firearms, admitted Patricia Carrillo.
