In a statement, prison officials said that police and military had been deployed to take control of the facility. Local media reported helicopters could be seen flying over the prison as relatives of inmates gathered outside the gates to check on loved ones.

Authorities say the number of inmates killed in a riot in Ecuador’s largest and most dangerous prison has risen to 17, a day after the goriest prison episode under the watch of President Daniel Noboa

At least 15 inmates were killed and 14 injured in clashes Tuesday at a prison in the Ecuadoran port of Guayaquil that has been plagued by violence, the state prison service said.