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The death toll in Ecuador's jail uprising has surpassed 100, with several convicts being beheaded.

President Guillermo Lasso announced that the death toll in a gang battle in one of Ecuador's largest jails has risen to 116, as authorities uncovered the bodies of more victims, including at least six who had been beheaded.

Another 80 inmates were injured during Tuesday night's skirmishes at the Penitenciaria del Litoral in Guayas province, which has recently been the scene of brutal battles between gangs for control of the jail.

“It is terrible that criminal organizations are aiming to turn jails into battlegrounds for power struggles,” Lasso told reporters in Ecuador's largest city, Guayaquil.

“I pray to God that Ecuador will be blessed and that we will avoid further human loss.”

Lasso stated that he will dispatch additional security personnel and reallocate cash to avert a repeat.

Outside the penitentiary, armored cars, soldiers, ambulances, and relatives of convicts gathered, the latter waiting for word of loved ones inside.

Police commander Fabian Bustos said Tuesday that a joint police-military operation reclaimed control of the facility after five hours. He stated that a number of weapons had been seized.

Officials said the violence, which included gunshots, knives, and explosions, was sparked by a feud between the Los Lobos and Los Choneros prison gangs.

Col Mario Pazmio, a former director of Ecuador's military intelligence, said the bloodshed demonstrates that "transnational organized crime has entered the structure" of the country's jail system, noting that Mexico's Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation cartels operated through local gangs.

“They aim to instill fear,” he told the Associated Press on Wednesday, following the confirmation of ten decapitations by officials.

In July, Lasso declared a state of emergency in Ecuador's jail system following a series of violent incidents that resulted in the deaths of over 100 inmates.

Previously, the bloodiest day happened in February, when 79 inmates were killed in a simultaneous revolt at three different jails around the country.

In July, 22 further convicts died at the Litoral penitentiary, while a drone strike on a penitentiary center in September resulted in no casualties.