Ecuadorian police announced on Thursday the successful rescue of 49 kidnapping victims from the Los Lobos crime gang operating in the mining region of Azuay province.
Initially, the armed forces reported 46 individuals rescued, alongside the discovery of five fatalities, four of whom were found dismembered.
President Daniel Noboa, grappling with escalating violent crime, has declared multiple states of emergency, deploying military forces to patrol streets and prisons.
He has also classified 22 crime syndicates as terrorist organizations.
“Forty-nine citizens held captive in mining areas have been liberated, and two suspects connected to these crimes have been apprehended,” stated Ecuador’s police in a social media post on X.
During the operation, more than 20 individuals engaged in gunfire with soldiers, as disclosed by Ecuador’s army in a separate social media update on X, noting fortunately no injuries were reported.
Source-Reuters
