The president of Ecuador declared a state of emergency in Guayaquil after the explosion that killed five people

The president of Ecuador, Guillermo Lasso, said this Sunday the state of exception in Guayaquil and made available the public force to restore normality as soon as possible, after a the explosion in that city killed at least five people and injured 17 others, in an incident that has been officially attributed to organized crime.

“We will not allow organized crime to try to rule the country“added the Ecuadorian president, while several of his ministers offered a press conference to detail the first investigations and the first actions carried out in relation to this event, which took place in the Cristo del Consuelo district of that coastal city.

This was reported on a case-by-case basis by the head of the Ministry of the Interior, Patricio Carrillo Homemade explosives were used in the attack made based on chemicals and excluded the use of grenades or devices for police or military use, as rumored on social networks.

The power of the explosive placed on the street next to a house was generated a hole 1.6 meters in diameter, 36 to 40 centimeters deep and whose shock wave reached between 60 and 70 meters, he explained.

The blast killed two women and a man, while two other people lost their lives in hospitals where they were taken by assistance services, Carrillo added. He also indicated that of the seventeen injured, only two are in “critical condition” and that the blast hit about eight homes.

Presumably, the minister added, the attacks were directed against a person known under the pseudonym of “Cucaracha”, as well as against another known as “Junior”, who apparently are related to the the so-called “Tiguerones” gang, linked to drug micro-trafficking and the massacres that have taken place over the past two years in various Ecuadorian prisons.

Carrillo announced a $ 10,000 reward for the information they bring to the perpetrators and explained that this is in addition to 58 other “minor terrorism” events recorded in Guayaquil, a city located 270 kilometers southwest of Quito. .

Guayaquil is also home to the largest state prison, where clashes and killings between criminal groups took place.

The state of exception in Guayaquil

The Secretary of Public Security, Diego Ordóñez, specified that the decree on the state of emergency of the Government includes the formation of a joint task force between the police and the armed forces to restore order in the sector and support investigations.

Ordóñez asked the political sectors of the country to understand the problem and not to turn it into an electoral question, given the proximity of the provincial, municipal and parish elections of February 5, 2023.

This was stated by the minister of the government, Francisco Jiménez the attack has some “terrorist characteristics” and which apparently is linked to organized crime gangs.

Jiménez also indicated in the same press conference that the government will include questions to the electorate on citizen safety in a popular consultation it plans to hold soon.

The aim of these questions, among other things, is that no local or national authority evades its responsibilities in terms of citizens’ safety.

Peru condemned the Guayaquil explosion

The government of Peru expressed its solidarity with Ecuador this Sunday condemn the explosion that took place in the neighborhood of Cristo del Consuelo.

“The government of Peru condemns the unfortunate terrorist attack on Cristo del Consuelo, Guayaquil. Peru expresses solidarity with the brother country of Ecuador for the irreparable loss of life, injuries and material damage caused,” the ministry wrote on Twitter. of Peruvian Foreign Affairs.

With information from EFE and AP.

IS