A prison riot in the southern port city of Machala on Monday left 14 people dead and 14 wounded after clashes between rival gangs, Ecuadorean police said.
The violence erupted during a confrontation between inmates from the criminal groups Los Lobos and Sao Box, according to authorities. A prison guard was killed and prisoners abducted police officers before some managed to flee the facility. Officials said that 13 escapees have since been recaptured.
“Uniformed officers confronted heavily armed inmates who tried to escape and maintain control of the cellblock,” Police Chief William Calle told broadcaster Ecuavisa, adding that guards were attacked and several officers were taken hostage during the unrest.
Ecuador has seen repeated deadly outbreaks of prison violence in recent years as organised gangs fight for territory and dominance inside the penitentiary system.
The government of President Daniel Noboa has vowed to crack down on crime, blaming the clashes on rival gangs vying for control.
Local and national security forces deployed to restore order, and injured inmates were taken to nearby hospitals, officials said.
Authorities are investigating what sparked Monday’s confrontation and say they will press criminal charges where appropriate.
EU climate ministers will make a last-ditch attempt to pass a new climate change target on Tuesday, in an effort to avoid going to the UN COP30 summit...
A Romanian worker trapped for hours under the rubble of a partially collapsed medieval tower near the Colosseum in central Rome has died, Italian and ...
A Ukrainian man suspected of coordinating the 2022 sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines has begun a hunger strike, demanding respect for his fund...
Residents of northern Afghanistan began a clean-up operation on Tuesday after a powerful 6.3 magnitude earthquake left at least 20 dead and almost 1,0...
Australia will provide households, including renters and those without solar panels, with at least three hours of free solar power daily under a new g...
Australia will provide households, including renters and those without solar panels, with at least three hours of free solar power daily under a new government scheme starting in 2026.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday that Washington would explore "flexibility" for American troops stationed in South Korea to address regional threats while maintaining the alliance’s core focus on deterring North Korea.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has pledged to boost mutual investment and deepen economic cooperation with Russia, as Moscow faces growing Western sanctions and trade pressure.
Israel’s top military legal officer Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, who resigned last week, has been arrested over the leak of a video showing soldiers brutally assaulting a Palestinian detainee at the Sde Teiman military prison.
Russia said on Monday that its troops had advanced in the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, a transport and logistics hub that they have been trying to capture for over a year, but Ukraine said its forces were holding on.
At least 37 people have died and five are missing after devastating floods and landslides hit central Vietnam, officials said Monday, as a new typhoon threatens to worsen the disaster.
On October 21, 2025, an Azerbaijani Airlines (AZAL) Gulfstream G650, call sign 4K-ASG, touched down at Yerevan’s Zvartnots Airport. It was a historic event, commented many.
U.S. President Donald Trump said he does not believe the United States is going to war with Venezuela despite growing tensions, though he suggested President Nicolás Maduro’s time in power may be nearing its end.
A powerful earthquake measuring 6.3 struck near the northern Afghan city of Mazar-e Sharif early on Monday, leaving at least 20 people dead, hundreds injured, and causing significant damage to the city’s famed Blue Mosque, authorities said, warning that the death toll was expected to rise.
A Romanian worker trapped for hours under the rubble of a partially collapsed medieval tower near the Colosseum in central Rome has died, Italian and Romanian authorities said on Tuesday.
A Ukrainian man suspected of coordinating the 2022 sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines has begun a hunger strike, demanding respect for his fundamental rights in prison, his lawyer said on Tuesday.
Residents of northern Afghanistan began a clean-up operation on Tuesday after a powerful 6.3 magnitude earthquake left at least 20 dead and almost 1,000 injured.
Australia will provide households, including renters and those without solar panels, with at least three hours of free solar power daily under a new government scheme starting in 2026.
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