Ecuador: five dead in an attack attributed to organized crime
Steph Deschamps / August 15, 2022
Five people died and 17 were injured Sunday in Guayaquil, Ecuador, in an explosion attributed to organized crime that prompted President Guillermo Lasso to declare a state of emergency in the coastal city. I have declared a state of emergency in the city of Guayaquil due to the criminal events of the last hours. All public forces will be available to restore control of the city, the president said on Twitter.
The state of emergency will be in force from Sunday in this port of 2.8 million inhabitants located in the southwest of the country and will last 30 days, said Diego Ordonez, the National Secretary of Public Security and State Safety, at a press conference.
The explosion that occurred early Sunday morning in the popular neighborhood of Cristo del Consuelo left five dead, who have been identified and have no criminal record, Interior Minister Patricio Carrillo said at a press conference.
He added that 17 people were injured in the blast, some of whom had criminal records. Many, if not most, of them are keeping silent and do not want to contribute to the investigation, he said.
Shortly before the explosion, two unidentified men on motorcycles arrived at the scene and deposited a bag near a restaurant that was believed to contain a powerful explosive device, said General Zarate, reporting on the initial findings of the investigation.
President Guillermo Lasso, who took office a year ago, said his government would not allow organized crime to try to run the country.