At least 68 prisoners were killed and dozens of others injured in overnight violence at Ecuador’s Penitenciaria del Litoral prison.

The penitentiary, located in the southern city of Guayaquil, is the same prison where 119 inmates were killed in late September.

Addressing a press conference, governor of the Guayas Pablo Arosemena has blamed disputes between drug trafficking gangs for control of prisons for the violence.

The prison system in South American countries, including Ecuador, has witnessed bloody violence in recent years. Since the beginning of this year, prison violence has killed hundreds of inmates.

In September Ecuador’s President Guillermo Lasso declared a 60-day state of emergency in the prison system, which freed up government funding and allowed military assistance in control of 65 prisons nationwide.

Source: VOV5