This footage shows how cops seize a huge stash of guns, knives and drugs from an Ecuadorian prison following the horrific clashes in which 118 inmates were killed, some of them beheaded.

Eighty inmates were also injured in the dispute between gangs that erupted in violence in the Litoral Penitentiary in Ecuador’s largest city, Guayaquil.

According to the prison authorities, the violent clashes began as rival gangs vied for control of the penitentiary on Tuesday, 28th September.

Firearms were discharged and grenades were detonated during the clashes, which are the deadliest ever seen in Ecuador’s prison system.

The government has declared a state of emergency in the prison system, which opens the way for soldiers and police officers to enter the country’s jails to dismantle the gangs vying for control.

The astonishing footage filmed by the police shows officers seizing large quantities of drugs, bullets, sharp knives, mobile phones and handguns from the prison cells.

The large quantity of illicit items seized suggests a complete lack of control on the part of the prison authorities over deliveries entering the penitentiary.

The police said they had finally retaken control of the prison on the night of Thursday, 30th September, following a 900-man-strong operation involving not only cops but also soldiers.

Of the believed 118 dead, a number which may still rise as officers continue their searches, at least six were decapitated, according to the Associated Press.

According to the former director of military intelligence Colonel Mario Pazmino, the gangs involved in the riots have links to some of Mexico’s notorious drug cartels.

Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso told reporters: “I ask God to bless Ecuador and that we can avoid more loss of human life.”