Authorities in Ecuador's El Oro province have found the bodies of 27 inmates in a prison.
According to national reports, the National Service for Comprehensive Care of Persons Deprived of Liberty and Juveniles (SNAI) confirmed the deaths at a facility in Machala. Prosecutors have launched an investigation into the cause of the fatalities.
Initial reports suggest the inmates died from asphyxiation. Given frequent gang clashes and violence among prisoners in Ecuadorian prisons, the deaths may be linked to a confrontation between inmates.
