By Tito Correa and Karen Toro
LATACUNGA, Ecuador (Reuters) – Relatives of inmates at a prison in Ecuador where at least 15 were killed and 21 injured in a riot on Monday desperately searched for answers on Tuesday, wondering if their loved ones were among the dead.
The Cotopaxi prison in Latacunga, one of the largest in the country, was under military watch as authorities said they had reclaimed control of the facility.
Monday’s riot is the latest incident in a recent streak of violence inside Ecuador’s prison system, which the government says is due to gang infighting over territory and drug-trafficking routes.
Ines Iguasni, a 33-year-old housewife, demanded to know what had happened to her husband, who she said was to have been released the day of the riot.
“I’ve been here since yesterday, when they said there was a shooting,” Iguasni said over shouts from other prisoners’ family members. “I haven’t heard anything since then. How are so many weapons brought in, if they search us (every time we visit)?”
“We are afraid that something is still happening in there,” she said.
Prosecutors said they were working to identify the bodies.
At least 316 inmates died in prison riots in Ecuador last year.
Interior Minister Juan Zapata told a local radio station that some 350 policemen were deployed to control the incident, and they managed to enter the prison wings by force.
Another 250 soldiers remained outside the prison, he said.
“It’s really difficult because of the number of gangs that exist and the way prisons are run,” Zapata said.
Authorities said that among the dead may be Leandro Norero, the defendant in a controversial money laundering case who was awaiting trial.
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights has said that Ecuador’s prison system suffers from state abandonment, inconsistent policy and poor living conditions.
The country’s prisons house some 33,500 people and exceed their maximum capacity by 11.3%, according to official figures.
(Reporting by Tito Correa and Karen Toro; Additional reporting by Alexandra Valencia; Writing by Kylie Madry; Editing by Bill Berkrot)
