39 inmates break out of Ecuadorian prison: Official

Quito: Some 39 inmates broke out of a prison in the Ecuadorian city of Riobamba, in Chimborazo province, Monday night amid a state of emergency declared by the government to crack down on crime, a local official confirmed on Tuesday.
Riobamba Mayor John Vinueza told local Pichincha radio station that the breakout occurred during a prison riot, where detonations of explosives were heard.
“In the process, 39 escaped … of which, according to the information I receive, 12 have been recaptured,” he said.
Citing a police report, local media said the inmates escaped around 10:45 p.m. local time through a prison sentry box while the facility was embroiled in the riot.
Among the escapees is Fabricio Colon Pico, a criminal linked to the “Los Lobos” criminal organization who is suspected of planning an attack against the national attorney general, Diana Salazar.
Colon’s escape came just as authorities were planning to transfer him to another prison.
The events in Riobamba followed a day of rioting at several Ecuadorian prisons, along with explosives and kidnappings of police officers Monday night and early Tuesday morning in several cities across the country, which has been plagued by organized crime.
Violence escalated after the government declared a 60-day state of emergency with a nighttime curfew to quash criminal activity.