The president of Ecuador, Guillermo Lasso.

Photo: AFP.

The president of Ecuador, Guillermo Lasso, declared this Sunday a state of emergency in Guayaquil after an explosion that occurred at dawn on August 14 that left five people dead as a result.

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

The head of state asserted that the authorities continue to investigate the facts to find those responsible for the explosion in the Cristo del Consuelo neighborhood of Guayaquil, "we will not allow organized crime to try to control the country," he said.

In addition to the five fatalities, the National Risk and Emergency Management Service of Ecuador (Sngre) explained that the explosion left 16 injured, as well as the destruction of at least eight residences and two cars.

“It is not a problem of the Police, it is a declaration of war against the State.

Either we unite to confront it or the price will be even higher for society,” declared the Minister of the Interior, Patricio Carrillo, who pointed to organized crime as perpetrating the act, but without naming any specific group.

After the attack, the mayor of Guayaquil, Cynthia Viteri, warned about security in the city and in various regions of the country, "criminal gangs have become a State within the State," she charged.

(With information from Telesur)