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31 Dead at Machala Prison After Riot and Mass Asphyxiations in Ecuador

Officials link the unrest to inmate transfers to a new maximum‑security facility.

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Police officers stand guard at the entrance of the prison after an armed riot that left four dead and dozens more injured in Machala, Ecuador on November 9, 2025. At least 27 prisoners were found dead from asphyxiation on Sunday afternoon in a prison in southwestern Ecuador, hours after police contained an armed riot that left four dead and dozens injured during the early hours of the morning. (Photo by Luis SUAREZ / AFP)
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Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa speaks at the inauguration of a child development center in a low-income neighborhood plagued by violence and organized crime on the outskirts of Guayaquil, in Duran, Ecuador, October 14, 2025. REUTERS/Santiago Arcos

Overview

  • Prison authority SNAI reported four inmates killed in an early armed riot and later found 27 more dead by asphyxiation described as “immediate death by hanging.”
  • Interior Minister John Reimberg said rival groups Los Lobos and the breakaway Sao-Box fought, alleging a later reprisal by Los Lobos that left 27 victims inside shared cells.
  • Dozens of inmates were injured across the two incidents, according to varying tallies from officials, and at least one police officer was hurt.
  • Tactical police units entered the Machala facility to regain control as forensic teams began work and authorities opened criminal and administrative investigations.
  • The deadly day extends a years-long prison crisis fueled by overcrowding, corruption and gang control, with recent mass-casualty clashes at Machala and other Ecuadorian prisons since 2021.