The return of citizens to their homes became chaotic in cities such as Quito and Guayaquil, after a day of terror experienced this Tuesday in Ecuador, besieged by organized crime groups who reacted with violence to the state of emergency decree issued on Monday by the Government.
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Around 3:00 p.m. local time, officials at the Carondelet Palace, in the historic center, and other State institutions were evacuated for safety, while some educational institutions and several businesses closed their doors out of fear.
In the “La Y” sector, in the center-north of Quito, the agglomeration of vehicles congested the entire area known as Iñaquito, a situation that was repeated in the sector.s with high vehicle congestion such as Vicentina, Marín and El Pintado, as well as in the accesses that connect the city with the surrounding valleys.
In the Ipiales market area, in the colonial center of the city, merchants closed their stores after noon, after it was reported that groups of assailants were supposedly trying to loot the businesses.
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Likewise, in the El Jardín shopping center sector, in the commercial area in the north of the city, some neighbors reported that assailants threatened customers, while the stores closed early to avoid violence.
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The situation was exasperated after a violent and armed group broke into the main set of the TC television channel to forcibly detain the station's staff, threatening them with firearms. That assault ended with the arrest of thirteen people and the release of the detained canal workers. In several areas of Guayaquil, the burning of vehicles and the action of armed men who shot at police officers were reported.
Images of the explosion of a patrol car were even circulated, but the Police have not provided official information on the matter. Violent actions by organized crime groups that have generated chaos in several sectors were also reported in the coastal cities of Manta and Esmeraldas.
The Ecuadorian Government suspended in-person classes until next Friday and in night-time education establishments it limited the day to twenty-one hours, since the curfew begins at eleven at night. until five in the morning. The chaos in these cities, especially in Quito, There were complaints from users due to the slowness in traffic generated by the situation.
The Municipality of Quito reported that all municipal transportation services are operating normally, although demand had increased.
EFE
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