Ecuador: 41 prison officers released after taken hostage

In the midst of recent violent clashes between criminal gangs and state security forces in Ecuador, 41 prison officers who had been taken hostage have been released.

A total of 24 prison guards and 17 administrative staff have been released, the penitentiary authority announced on Saturday.

However, 136 prison officers are still being held by prisoners in several prisons throughout the South American country.

One guard was killed and another injured in fights in one prison, the statement added. Criminal gangs had recently rioted in several prisons and seized numerous guards.