All Ecuador prison staff held hostage by inmates now free, officials say

A general view shows buildings and houses, amid the ongoing wave of violence around the nation, in Guayaquil, Ecuador, January 13, 2024. REUTERS/Henry Romero

QUITO (Reuters) -All prison staff held by inmates at prisons in Ecuador amid a sharp uptick in violence had been freed by Saturday evening, the SNAI prisons agency said.

The hostages, which SNAI previously said were 158 guards and 20 administrative staffers, were held since last Monday in at least seven prisons as a security crisis escalates in the South American country.