Ecuador says deadly Guayaquil blast connected to crime gangs

16/8/2022 11:23

        The government of Ecuador has authorized security forces in Guayaquil to carry out inspections of houses as part of a new state of emergency, the interior
        minister said, after an explosives attack killed five people over the weekend.
        
        The blast in the working-class neighborhood of Cristo del Consuelo early on Sunday morning has been classed as a terrorist act by authorities, who blame crime gangs. A further 17 people were injured.
        
        The government has long said rising violence in the South American country is caused by fighting between gangs looking to control drug trafficking routes to the United States and Europe.
        
        President Guillermo Lasso declared a state of emergency in the coastal city after the explosion, mobilizing larger numbers of security forces in a task force which will operate for 30 days.