At least 68 prisoners have been killed in new brutal prison clashes in Ecuador. The riots at the Litoral Jail in Guayaquil reportedly began on Friday night, and police tactical units that entered the prison buildings found weapons, explosives and blades, according to the BBC.

More than 300 people have died in Ecuadorian prisons this year alone.

More than 100 prisoners were killed in fighting by rival gangs last September, officials said. reported the BBC.

The September gang-related prison violence was the worst in Ecuador's history.

At that time, prisoners from one wing of the prison crawled through a hole to reach the other wing, where they attacked members of the rival gang.

The deadly conflict, in which some prisoners were beheaded, has drawn public attention to the growing influence of transnational criminal groups in Ecuador, such as the Sinaloa, Jalisco and New Mexico-based New Generation cartels.