Ecuador plunges into crisis amid prison riots, kidnappings

The president declared a state of emergency and ordered the army to “neutralize” dozens of gangs. Armed men stormed a television studio while cameras were rolling.

VideoEcuadorian military and police patrolled the streets and searched residents following the disappearance of a jailed leader of a criminal gang. On Tuesday, a television station in Ecuador's largest city took anchors and staff hostage and exchanged gunfire with police while cameras rolled before the intruders were subdued and arrested. /p>

Televised violence, captured live, erupted in the city of Guayaquil as the South American country descended into chaos this week, with the disappearance of a powerful prison gang leader, uprisings breaking out in several prisons and kidnappings of inmates and threats to guards.

VideoCameras on TC Televisión station in Guayaquil, Ecuador, caught armed men invading the studio during a broadcast live before being arrested by police.

One ​​of the attackers who stormed the television station could be heard on air asking to be hooked up with a microphone, saying he intended to send a message about the consequences of "playing with the mafias." Before he could do so, the police intervened. The gunmen also forced the anchors and other staff held hostage to appear in a video asking the president not to intervene.

Police said on social media that she had arrested 13 people after the episode, recovering “weapons, explosives and other evidence”. The hostages were also released unharmed, the message said.

As of Tuesday afternoon, at least eight people were dead and two others were injured during episodes violent in Guayaquil, according to the city's mayor, Aquiles Álvarez, who held a press conference alongside the police chief. Authorities also said five hospitals were stormed.

Explosions, burning vehicles, looting and gunfire were also reported across the country, and authorities announced that a second major gang leader and other inmates had escaped from another prison.

Ecuador's president, Daniel Noboa on Tuesday declared an internal armed conflict and ordered the armed forces to "neutralize" two dozen gangs, which he called "terrorist organizations," according to an article on X, formerly known as Twitter .

Shops, schools, offices and government buildings were closed. Workers were sent home and the streets of Quito and Guayaquil were clogged with traffic.

“It was chaotic, as you can imagine,” he said. said Carolina Valencia, who was visiting family. ...