Quito, Apr 16 (IANS): At least 12 inmates were killed and three others injured during an armed clash between crime groups in an Ecuadorian prison on Friday, the Attorney General's Office confirmed.

The National Service of Integral Attention to Adults Deprived of Liberty and Adolescent Offenders reported that the clash began on Friday afternoon inside the Litoral Penitentiary in Guayaquil, the capital of the Guayas province and one of the most violent cities in the country, Xinhua News Agency reported.

The confrontation involved inmates from four wards fighting for control of the prison, led by criminal gangs linked to drug trafficking, according to the government.

The number of deaths was confirmed Saturday morning and the wounded were transferred to care homes in Guayaquil.

The Litoral Penitentiary has been the scene of some massacres recorded since February 2021 due to power disputes in Ecuadorian prisons, which have killed more than 400 prisoners, according to official statistics.