QUITO, Sept. 28 (Xinhua) -- At least 24 inmates were killed and another 48 were injured in clashes Tuesday at the Litoral Penitentiary located in the coastal city of Guayaquil, in southwestern Ecuador, authorities and the National Police said.

Speaking to local media, Pablo Arosemena, the governor of the province of Guayas, whose capital is Guayaquil, confirmed the number of victims in Tuesday morning's melee in different parts of the prison.

The clashes took place between gangs fighting for control of drug trafficking and other crimes planned inside the prison, said Arosemena.

It was the deadliest such incident since February, when a series of coordinated riots at four prisons left 79 inmates dead and some 20 people wounded, including police officers.

The National Police said on Twitter that the clashes at Litoral Penitentiary included "detonations of firearms and explosions."

Arosemena said that "citizens can be calm, the police and tactical forces managed to restore order in less than 24 hours" at the prison. Enditem

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