Yury Garcia and Alexandra Valencia

QUITO/GUAYAQUIL – Ecuador’s government stated on Sunday that it is moving forward with identifying bodies of 68 victims killed in violence at Penitenciaria del Litoral prison.

Overcrowding and poor conditions of living for prisoners in prison have been criticized by the country. The government also blames gang rivalries for violence.

In the south city of Guayaquil is the penitentiary where 119 prisoners were murdered in September, the worst case of violence prisoner abuse in recent memory.

“Thirtyfour bodies have been identified already…forensics continues to working on the identification the other dead,” President Guillermo Lasso stated in a statement. He also added that the remains would be returned home to their families in the following hours.

25 people sustained injuries.

On Sunday, dozens of relatives gathered at the police morgue to seek information and wait for their loved ones.

The state is the one responsible for this massacre. Nestor Soriano (56), said that every day, his brothers and sons die in prison. He was looking for information about his son, currently serving a six year sentence. He is not safe. They would like to give him back in a box. That is not what I want.”

Lasso declared an emergency of 60 days in September for the prisons, allowing government funds to be freed and limited military support.

It stated that it was in contact with the Catholic Church, human rights groups and United Nations personnel to coordinate its cooperation on the pacification process.

Lasso called upon the constitution court to allow military personnel into prisons and not provide only external security. According to the court, a permanent solution for prison crises will not be possible without temporary security measures.

According to the SNAI prison authority on Twitter, all 36 national detention centres – that house 39,000 people – were under control Sunday.