HAVANA, January 16. /TASS/. The escape of 48 inmates from Ecuador’s Esmeraldas-2 prison was discovered during an operation conducted by law enforcement agencies, Ecuadorian corrections authority SNAI said on X (formerly Twitter).

SNAI pointed out that "five of the escaped convicts were brought back to the prison as a result of prompt action taken by the authorized officials." The statement added that one convict had died.

According to earlier reports, Ecuador’s armed forces and police detained 1,327 people after unrest had broken out in the country triggered by gang-instigated prison riots.

The security situation in the country deteriorated sharply on January 7 after Los Choneros drug cartel leader Jose Adolfo Macias Villamar, known by the alias "Fito," had escaped from prison, triggering riots in several of the country’s correctional facilities. Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa declared a nationwide state of emergency and imposed a curfew on January 8.