A live television broadcast in Ecuador was interrupted by hooded and armed men on Tuesday as the Guayaquil-based network was on air amid a spate of kidnappings and violence in the country after the president declared a state of emergency, CNN reported.
The hooded men forced the staff onto the floor of the studio as shots and yelling were heard in the background, social media video showed of the incident that took place at the state-owned TC Television.
The National Police of Ecuador wrote on X that “specialized units” have responded to the emergency at the media station.
Ecuador has been rocked by several explosions, police kidnappings, and prison disturbances just hours after President Daniel Noboa declared a nationwide state of emergency on Monday after high-profile gang leader Adolfo “Fito” Macias escaped from a prison in Guayaquil.
Since Noboa’s announcement, at least seven police agents have been kidnapped in three different cities, according to a post on X by the National Police.
In one of the kidnappings this week, in which three agents were taken, an explosive device had been “placed and detonated” in a vehicle the officers were moving in, police said.
In the capital Quito, the police found a burned vehicle with traces of gas cylinders inside. Residents reported on social media that they had heard a loud explosion in the area.
Ecuador’s penitentiary service, the SNAI, said that at least six incidents took place inside prison facilities Monday, including disturbances and retention of penitentiary agents. This situation in the prisons, they say, has not been controlled.
On the political side, Ecuador’s National Assembly is holding an emergency meeting to “generate concrete actions in face of the national commotion and multiple acts that threaten public peace”, according to CNN.