Ecuador’s National Service for the Comprehensive Care of Adults Deprived of their Liberty and Adolescent Offenders (SNAI) said on Thursday that two prisoners died as a result of a riot in North Central Sierra Regional prison, located in Lacatunga, in Cotopaxi province.

The riot erupted after four convicts died last week. As Ecuador’s Health Ministry (MSP) reported, two of them were COVID-19 positive, the other two had respiratory difficulties and other virus-related symptoms.

Prisoners demanded better health conditions and accused the authorities of condemning them to death, since they allow people who are already infected to enter the wards, according to a video broadcast on social networks.

According to MSP, nine inmates were confirmed positive after extended testing in North Central Sierra Regional Prison. The other four inmates remain isolated with COVID-19 symptoms and the other 17 virus suspicious inmate’s testing results are expected.

In addition, an inmate died on June 6 in Turi prison, in Cuenca province, due to respiratory complications. The other eleven prisoners also tested positive for the virus.