At least 30 inmates were killed and dozens injured in gang brawls in a prison in the Ecuadorian port city of Guayaquil. A police spokesman said five inmates were beheaded and others shot dead. Prisoners also threw grenades, BBC reported.
The regional governor said it took 400 police officers to regain control of the prison, which holds prisoners associated with international drug groups.
More than 150 people have died as a result of prison violence in Ecuador this year. In the bloodiest incident in February, 79 prisoners were killed in a brawl.
Penitentiary colony, where the last deadly battle took place, is considered one of the most dangerous in the country.
The Buenano police commander said inmates from one wing of the prison climbed through a hole to enter the other wing, where they attacked members of a rival gang.
