Armed violence in Ecuador: Deaths, kidnappings and material damage (+data)

Published at: 10/01/2024 03:00 PM

For two days, after the State of Emergency decreed by President Daniel Noboa, Ecuador has suffered a growing wave of armed violence that has left at least 10 people dead, several injured, others kidnapped, fires and explosions of several vehicles, among other material damage, in addition to dozens of detainees, according to unofficial data.

On Tuesday night, officials from the security department of the Guayaquil mayor's office confirmed the death of at least eight people, while local media reported 10 fatalities, but the number could rise to 13 deaths, following the report of a car exploding in the coastal city of Guayaquil.

According to the Ecuadorian press, the explosion occurred in the sector known as Cooperativa 22 de Abril, in Isla Trinitaria. There, after a group of criminals planted a bomb in a vehicle that allegedly contained three people, who allegedly died on the spot.

Meanwhile, the Police confirmed the death of two of their officers, who “were viciously murdered by armed criminals” in the town of Nobol, in the province of Guayas. The mayor of Guayaquil, Aquiles Álvarez, reported Tuesday night that one of the deceased is a driver for his institution.

So far, all the material damage caused during the day of Tuesday, which included prison riots and the takeover by armed criminals of the TC Television channel in Guayaquil, for which 13 individuals were arrested and will be prosecuted for terrorism, RT reports on its website. The attacks were also aimed at a land transport terminal, shopping malls, and other locations.

According to the most recent report by the Ecuadorian Police, so far it has been possible to capture at least 70 people who were allegedly involved in different crimes committed during the chaos and the wave of violence unleashed.

The Police and Armed Forces maintain the operational deployment of more than 3,000 officers on the streets of Ecuador, protected by the decrees of a State of Emergency and internal armed conflict, issued by President Noboa, as well as by the promise of the National Assembly that uniformed personnel will be amnestied while doing their duty.

WRITING MAZO/RT