Ecuador city declares state of emergency amid dramatic rise in gang bombings

Images from the scene showed the front of houses torn off and cars smeared in blood with their windows blown in the working-class Cristo de Consuelo neighbourhood. Eight houses and two cars were destroyed in the early morning blast, according to authorities.

Since the decree 11 raids have been carried out in the city and five people have been arrested, Carrillo told journalists on Monday.

The incident is the deadliest so far in a dramatic rise in bomb attacks in the country with 145 so far this year, half which occurred in Guayaquil, according to government figures.

Guayaquil was one of the 50 most violent cities in the the world in 2021, according to Insight Crime, a thinktank. It is the first time an Ecuadorian city has appeared on the list.