Overview
- SNAI said police discovered the bodies on Sunday after an explosive device detonated outside the Machala detention center in El Oro province.
- Authorities reported that autopsies and standard investigative procedures are underway and have not established whether the detonation is connected to the deaths.
- Local media said a drone may have set off the blast to distract guards, a claim not confirmed by officials.
- The same prison saw at least 31 inmates killed last month, many by asphyxiation during clashes between Los Lobos and a splinter group known as Sao-Box, after which authorities transferred hundreds of high-risk inmates.
- The ruling party introduced a bill to amend the constitution to limit sentence-reduction benefits for prisoners as Ecuador continues a hardline, militarized approach to organized crime.