BOGOTA, Colombia 

At least nine inmates were killed Friday in another prison massacre in Ecuador, according to the Attorney General's Office.

The violence occurred at the El Inca prison in Quito after police and prison officials tried to transfer Jonathan Bermudez, the leader of the criminal "Los Lobos" gang, to the La Roca maximum security prison in Guayaquil.

Ecuadoran President Guillermo Lasso had announced hours earlier the transfer of Bermudez, identified by authorities as having been responsible for a Nov. 7 massacre at the same prison that left five prisoners dead.

“Those responsible for the massacre in the El Inca prison in Quito have been successfully isolated today,” Lasso wrote on Twitter. “Early this morning, law enforcement officers bravely transferred the leader of the narco-terrorist gang "Lobos" to the maximum security prison, La Roca.”

"We told them that our hands would not tremble, and that there would be consequences for those who tried to create chaos. Let the mafias and ringleaders not be confused: this will be the same fate for those who continue with their attempts to break the peace of Ecuadorians," Lasso added.

Prison massacres in Ecuador have been recurrent in recent months.

Since February 2021, there have been nearly one dozen in Ecuador, with more than 400 inmates killed, according to the government, due to increasing violence between criminal gangs linked to drug trafficking.

Although Lasso promised to put an end to violence in prisons, the incidents continue to occur.

The government decreed a state of emergency in Guayas, Esmeraldas and Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas provinces since the beginning of November after several attacks were recorded.