A violent riot erupted at a prison in Machala, Ecuador, on Sunday, resulting in the deaths of four inmates and injuries to over 30 others, according to the country’s corrections officials. The unrest was triggered by the planned relocation of prisoners to a new maximum-security facility in a different province, as stated by Ecuador’s prison oversight agency. The situation escalated rapidly, with one police officer also sustaining injuries before authorities managed to restore order. The conditions of the injured remain unclear as of Sunday. This incident marks the second deadly outbreak of violence at the same prison in less than two months, following a gang-related dispute in April that claimed 14 lives. Ecuador’s prison system has become one of the most dangerous in Latin America, plagued by severe overcrowding, rampant corruption, and insufficient state control. These conditions have allowed drug-trafficking gangs linked to Colombia and Mexico to thrive, with many inmates heavily armed and continuing to orchestrate criminal activities from within the prisons. Since 2021, more than 500 people have died in prison riots, including a series of coordinated uprisings last year that saw 150 prison guards taken hostage.