Spanish
Quito,.- The local Committee of Emergency Operations (COE) of Ecuador declared this Sunday in a state of emergency the municipality of Playas (southwest) after the murder of at least nine people in an armed attack on a premises perpetrated on Saturday.
In the resolution of the declaration "due to insecurity" it is specified that it will be maintained for "a maximum of sixty days" and it indicates that there will be three days of mourning in memory of the victims, who were in a place playing billiards when they were attacked.
The resolution also includes the suspension of the festivities that were planned for the anniversary of the municipality, located in the coastal province of Guayas, one of the most affected by violence in the Andean nation.
Furthermore, he urged the Ministry of Education to implement the virtual modality in schools and colleges for the duration of the emergency.
The State Attorney General's Office initiated a preliminary investigation into the murder of nine people at the pool hall in the Santa Isabel neighborhood, although the local press has referred to more fatalities and that the families allegedly removed the bodies before the arrival of the Police.
Among the deceased is a soccer coach from the Prefecture of Guayas, as confirmed on Saturday by its head, Marcela Aguiñaga.
The police collected at least 80 bullet casings at the crime scene, while authorities investigate security camera recordings and cell phones.
In social media, videos circulated showing the wake of five childhood friends who were murdered in the attack on Saturday.
At the beginning of 2024, the President of Ecuador, Daniel Noboa, elevated the fight against organized crime to the category of "internal armed conflict", thereby classifying organized crime gangs as "terrorists".
This is to counteract the escalation of violence that has put the country at the forefront of Latin America in terms of homicides, with an average of more than one murder per hour in the first months of this year.
