116 Dead in Ecuador Prison Riot; Bodies Left Decapitated and Dismembered

At least 116 people were killed and 80 injured Tuesday in a prison riot in Guayaquil, officials say.

The bloodshed is attributed to competing gangs linked to global drug cartels battling for prison control.

The two gangs believed to be battling for transitional control are the Los Lobos and Los Choneros, officials said.

Family members of inmates wept for those within the prison and detailed how combatants are being decapitated and dismembered, according to a report.

Inmates have been found all over, including in the prison’s piping, police Cmdr. Fausto Buenano added.

The social media has been filled with images of bodies covering the 9th and 10th pavilions, which officials say more closely resemble a battlefield than a prison facility.

President Guillermo Lasso issued a state of emergency in the national prison system, which permits the government to send troops and armed police to the nation’s prisons. 

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