Guayaquil, Ecuador

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All prison staff held by inmates at prisons in Ecuador amid a sharp uptick in violence had been freed by Saturday (Jan 13) evening, the SNAI prisons agency said.

The hostages, which SNAI previously said were 158 guards and 20 administrative staffers, were held since last Monday in at least seven prisons as a security crisis escalates in the South American country.

President Daniel Noboa on the social media platform X congratulated SNAI, police and armed forces for the successful release of the prison staff.

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There would be an investigation to determine those responsible for the hostage-taking, SNAI said in its statement.

SNAI reported incidents at several prisons earlier Saturday, including an armed confrontation with inmates at the prison in El Oro province that resulted in the death of a guard.

Ecuador is grappling with a security crisis that worsened this week with the on-air storming of a TV station, unexplained explosions in several cities and the kidnapping of police officers.

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Armed groups appear to be reacting to Noboa's plans to tackle the dire security situation, according to the government.

The police and the armed forces were continuing to carry out operations around the country. More than 1,000 people have been arrested since a state of emergency began on Monday, the government said.

Watch | Ecuador violence prompts several prison raids across the region

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Ecuador violence

Once a bastion of peace situated between major cocaine producers, Ecuador has been plunged into crisis after years of growing control by transnational cartels that use its ports to ship the drug to the United States and Europe.

Criminal gangs in the country of about 17 million people are thought to have more than 20,000 members. 

Also read | Ecuador violence: 178 prison guards, staff held hostage by gangs

According to the latest official report, 859 suspects have been arrested, 25 escaped detainees have been recaptured, five "terrorists" shot dead and 57 kidnapped people have been released.

A chilling video filmed in Machala prison and confirmed by police shows the corpse of a prisoner wrapped in plastic thrown into the street from inside the jail, which is under the control of inmates. 

Other images have emerged over the past few days showing arrested suspected gang members being ridiculed, forced to sing, hitting each other or being mistreated by soldiers.