Five police killed in Ecuador; state of emergency declared

Police stand next to a car that exploded near the bus terminal in response to ongoing prisoner transfers done as part of a government plan to reduce overcrowding in the country's prisons, in Pascuales, on the outskirts of Guayaquil, Ecuador November 1, 2022. REUTERS/Vicente Gaibor del Pino

QUITO (Reuters) -At least five Ecuadorean police officers were killed on Tuesday in explosive attacks in response to prisoner transfers from overcrowded and violent penitentiaries, prompting President Guillermo Lasso to declare a state of emergency in two provinces.

Lasso, a conservative, has repeatedly blamed violence, including inside prisons, on drug gang retaliation for his government's efforts to combat the trade.