In a statement, prison officials said that police and military had been deployed to take control of the facility. Local media reported helicopters could be seen flying over the prison as relatives of inmates gathered outside the gates to check on loved ones.

At least 15 inmates were killed and 14 injured in clashes Tuesday at a prison in the Ecuadoran port of Guayaquil, the latest in a series of massacres blamed on a war between drug cartels.