The violence unfolded at a facility in Machala, a port town south of Guayaquil, where 27 prisoners died from asphyxiation and hanging, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
The deaths were reported as being the result of a violent altercation, though further details on the circumstances remain unclear.
Earlier in the day, SNAI had reported four additional deaths in a separate incident at the same prison, triggered by a reorganization of prisoners into a new maximum-security unit. Tactical police were able to regain control after the disturbance.
Ecuador has faced a series of deadly prison uprisings in recent years, with gang violence and rival factions fighting for control contributing to the chaos. President Daniel Noboa's administration has vowed to take a tougher stance on crime, blaming much of the violence on criminal gangs vying for dominance.
In a similar incident in September, gang-related fighting in the same prison led to the deaths of 14 inmates and left another 14 wounded. Just days later, another 17 people were killed in a separate prison riot in Esmeraldas, a northern city on the border with Colombia.
