QUITO, Ecuador: More than 40 Ecuadorean prison officials who were taken hostage by inmates have been released, the prisons office said Saturday, as the country grapples with a brutal campaign of gang terror.
A group of 24 guards and 17 administrative staff have been released, the SNAI prison office said without giving details, while 133 guards and three staff remain in prisoner custody.
As many as 11 prison staff who were being held by inmates at Ecuador’s Esmeraldas prison were released on Saturday, police said. They were among 158 guards and 20 administrative staff held hostage in at least seven prisons since Monday amid a sharp increase in violence in the South American country.
The SNAI prison agency said in a statement that such incidents had occurred in several prisons, without giving further details.
Ecuador is grappling with a security crisis that has been exacerbated this week by an attack on a television station, the capture of dozens of prison staff by prisoners and the kidnapping of police officers.
Police and armed forces continued to conduct operations across the country. More than 800 people have been arrested since the state of emergency was declared on Monday.
According to the government, armed groups appear to be responding to President Daniel Noboya’s plans to address the dire security situation.
