Eight inmates killed and 10 injured in near-simultaneous riots at two Ecuador prisons
Ecuador's prison agency SNAI confirmed eight inmates dead and 10 injured in near-simultaneous riots on Thursday at the Cotopaxi No. 1 prison in Latacunga and Pichincha No. 1, known as El Inca, in northern Quito; suspected participants will be transferred to the El Encuentro maximum-security prison.
Eight inmates have been killed and 10 injured in near-simultaneous prison riots at two Ecuadorian prisons on Thursday, the country’s prison agency said.
Corrections officials said the violence erupted on the afternoon of 22 October at the Cotopaxi No. 1 prison in Latacunga and the Pichincha No. 1 prison — known as El Inca — in northern Quito. Ecuador’s prison authority, SNAI, confirmed four deaths at each facility, with all 10 injured receiving medical care, according to the AFP reporting.
At El Inca, forensic personnel reported bodies with gunshot and knife wounds, and preliminary information pointed to a dispute between criminal gangs, Gulf News reported. Security forces sealed access routes near the Quito facility as operations to restore order continued.
SNAI said suspected participants had been identified and would be transferred to the El Encuentro maximum-security prison, a facility built by President Daniel Noboa’s government to hold the country’s most wanted criminals.
The riots broke a relatively long period without mass prison killings following Noboa’s security interventions, according to EFE cited by Gulf News. More than 500 inmates have been killed in Ecuador’s prisons since 2021. Some facilities are under military control, but drug-trafficking gangs continue to challenge the authorities from inside prison walls, ordering murders and extortion from behind bars.
Sources
- AFP via The New Indian Express: “Eight dead, 10 injured in Ecuador prison riots: officials” — https://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2026/Oct/23/eight-dead-10-injured-in-ecuador-prison-riots-officials
- AFP (Quito dateline) via Daily Sun — http://www.daily-sun.com/world/904964
- CNBC-TV18: “Ecuador prison riots kill eight and injure 10; those responsible face transfer to new jail” — https://www.cnbctv18.com/world/ecuador-prison-riots-kill-eight-and-injure-10-those-responsible-face-transfer-to-new-jail-20017571.htm
- CGTN: “Eight dead, 10 injured in Ecuador prison riots: officials” (09:42, 23-Oct-2026) — https://news.cgtn.com/news/2026-10-23/news-1Rt89nlsd9e/p.html
- Gulf News: “Ecuador Prison Riots Leave 8 Dead, 10 Injured Amid Gang Violence” (last updated October 23, 2026 | 06:02) — https://gulfnews.com/world/americas/eight-dead-10-injured-in-ecuador-prison-riots-officials-1.500720525
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