Two deadly back-to-back prison riots Sunday at a penitentiary in Machala, Ecuador left at least 31 inmates dead and dozens injured, local authorities reported.

SNAI, Ecuador’s penitentiary system and inmate rehabilitation authority, provided details of the two incidents through separate official statements.

In a first statement, SNAI explained that Ecuadorian Police sent a tactical unit to the Machala prison to regain control of the inmate center in response to an alert issued by the prison. The Ecuadorian newspaper Primicias , citing information from the police, reported prison inmates began clashing at around 02:45a.m. (local time), leaving four dead and at least 43 injured, several of them in serious conditions. A police officer was reportedly injured during the riot.

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