An explosive attack left 5 dead, 17 injured -two in critical condition- and 8 houses destroyed in Guayaquil, Ecuador. After that, President Guillermo Lasso decreed a State of Exception in the coastal commune, so that the police and the Armed Forces can establish order and support the respective investigations.
The president of Ecuador, Guillermo Lasso, decreed a State of Exception in Guayaquil this Sunday, after the explosive attack that left 5 dead and 17 injured.
“I have declared the city of Guayaquil in a State of Exception due to the criminal events that have taken place in the last few hours. The entire public force will be available to reestablish control of the city”he pointed out through his Twitter account.
The head of state added that “we will not allow organized crime to try to run the country.”
I have declared the city of Guayaquil in a State of Exception due to the criminal events that have taken place in the last few hours. The entire public force will be available to restore control of the city. We will not allow organized crime to try to run the country.
— Guillermo Lasso (@LassoGuillermo) August 14, 2022
Explosive attack leaves 5 dead and 8 homes destroyed
A bomb exploded in the Cristo del Consuelo neighborhood of Guayaquil, causing the death of 5 people and the destruction of 8 houses in the coastal commune.
The head of the Ministry of the Interior, Patricio Carrillo, reported that homemade explosives were used, made on the basis of chemical substances. In this sense, he ruled out the use of grenades or devices for police or military use, as had been rumored on social networks.
The power of the explosive generated a hole 1.6 meters in diameter and 40 centimeters deep.. In addition, its shock wave reached 70 meters, according to the Ecuadorian authority.
The explosion killed three people at the same place, while two others died in hospitals where they were taken for urgent care.
On the other hand, Carrillo reported that there are 17 people injured, of which two are in “critical condition”.
State of Exception after 58 events of “minor terrorism”
According to the Secretary of State, the attack could have been directed at subjects known as “Cucaracha” and “Junior”, who would be linked to the so-called “Tiguerones” gang.
The latter is related to drug micro-trafficking and the massacres that have taken place over the last two years in various prisons in the country.
Carrillo explained that this event adds to another 58 events of “minor terrorism” that have been registered in Guayaquil.
For his part, the Minister of Public Security, Diego Ordóñez, specified that the Government’s State of Exception decree includes the formation of a joint task force between the police and the Armed Forces.