(MENAFN- Trend News Agency)
At least five people were killed and 17 others injured in an
explosion that rocked Ecuador's southwestern port city of
Guayaquil, Trend reports citing Xinhua .
In a preliminary report, Ecuador's National Risk and Emergency
Management Service said that the explosion had left five dead and
17 injured and destroyed eight houses and two vehicles.
An investigation into the explosion has been launched and
organized crime linked to drug trafficking was suspected to be
behind the incident.
Ecuadoran President Guillermo Lasso declared a state of
emergency for 30 days in Guayaquil following the explosion.
'The entire public force will be available for restoring control
of the city. We will not allow organized crime to try to run the
country,' Lasso wrote on Twitter.
The motive for the attack has not yet been specified by police.
According to preliminary reports, two people on a motorcycle threw
a sack which is believed to contain explosives.
At a joint press conference, Ecuadoran Interior Minister
Patricio Carrillo called the explosion an 'act of terrorism' and
said the explosives seemed to be home-made, ruling out that
grenades were used in the attack.
According to Carrillo, three people were killed on the spot
while the other two died in hospital.
The government offered a 10,000-dollar reward for information
about this incident.
MENAFN15082022000187011040ID1104696199
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.