Officials said that in the new battle in Ecuadorian prisons, at least 68 prisoners were killed and more than 100 prisoners were killed in clashes between rival gangs in September.

According to reports, the riots at the Marina Prison in Guayaquil began on Friday night.

According to reports, the police tactical unit entering the prison building found guns, explosives and blades.

Officials say they have regained control of the prison.

So far this year, nearly 300 prisoners have died in the country’s prisons, and the gang-related violence in September was the worst in Ecuador’s history.

On September 28, a riot broke out in Binhai Prison, and about 119 prisoners were killed.

The latest fighting in Guayaquil prison in Guayas province also injured 25 people after a smaller armed conflict occurred earlier this month in which three prisoners were shot.

According to reports, further violent incidents occurred in the prison late on Saturday, and soldiers were deployed as reinforcements, using armored vehicles to protect outside the facility.

The prisoners’ family and friends desperately needed the information collected outside the building, where a list of victims was posted on posts.

"They are humans, help them," read a banner held by one of the families.

The authorities said that after a gang leader was released early, the violence began with a territorial dispute between rival groups.

The governor of Guayas Province, Pablo Arosemena, told reporters: “Because there is no leader in this part of the prison, other groups are trying to... enter to carry out a total massacre.”

He said there were about 700 prisoners in the facility area where the fatal riot occurred.

In a brief statement released on Twitter, President Guillermo Russo expressed condolences to the "family who lost loved ones" and said that new measures are needed to "combat the mafia who profited from chaos."

On September 28, prisoners on one side of the prison crawled through a hole into the other side, where they attacked rival gang members. Hundreds of officers and army soldiers were deployed to regain control of the complex.

The deadly battle that led to the beheading of some prisoners has drawn attention to the growing influence of transnational criminal groups in Ecuador, such as the new generation of cartels based in Mexico's Sinaloa and Jalisco states.

Earlier this month, Mr. Russo insisted in an interview with the BBC that his government would not only regain control of prisons, but also regain control of drug dealers in some areas of Ecuador.

He accused previous governments of being "passive" towards drug trafficking, but warned that the country's increasing drug use would take "more than ten years" to resolve.

He said that Ecuador needs the international support of neighboring Colombia, the United States and the European Union to strengthen its armed forces and police to combat the growing influence of criminal gangs.

Officials say that Ecuador’s prisons currently hold approximately 9,000 more prisoners than they are designed to hold. The Binhai Prison is designed for 5,300 prisoners, but currently it can accommodate 8,500 prisoners.

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