“Some members of staff were injured in the disorders but none are among the dead,” said Edmundo Moncayo, the head of the National Service of Attention to People Deprived of Liberty.

Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno said that criminal gangs were carrying out violent acts at a number of detention centers at the same time.

“As a result of today's violent riots between criminal gangs in three prisons across the country, I have decided to @ DefensaEc exercise strict control of weapons, ammunition, and explosives in the outer perimeters of Prisons,” he tweeted.

Meanwhile, the Ecuadorian army announced that it was supporting police in security operations around the three detention centers.