Eight inmates were killed and 10 others injured after clashes broke out at two prisons in Ecuador, authorities said.

Ecuador's National Service for Comprehensive Attention to Adults Deprived of Liberty and Adolescent Offenders (SNAI) said separate clashes occurred at correctional facilities in the provinces of Cotopaxi and Pichincha.

According to the statement, four inmates were killed at the Cotopaxi No. 1 Prison in the city of Latacunga, while another four died during clashes at the Pichincha No. 1 Temporary Detention Centre, known as El Inca, in the capital Quito.

The authorities said 10 other inmates were injured in the violence and were taken to hospitals for medical treatment.

SNAI said the identities of inmates involved in the clashes had been determined.

The suspects are expected to be transferred to the high-security El Encuentro Prison in Ecuador's Santa Elena province, as part of measures taken following the incidents.

Ecuador's prison system has faced repeated outbreaks of violence in recent years, largely linked to conflicts between rival criminal groups operating inside correctional facilities.

Authorities have carried out security operations and introduced measures to regain control of prisons, but deadly clashes among inmates continue to pose a major challenge for the country.(ILKHA)