Ecuador announces state of emergency after mayor shot to death [View all]

The country is also contending with violence within its prison system as deadly clashes erupt between gangs.



The coffin of Agustín Intriago, mayor of Manta, is guarded by firefighters on July 24 [Dolores Ochoa/AP Photo]

Published On 25 Jul 2023
25 Jul 2023

Ecuador has announced a state of emergency in three provinces after a shooting left two people dead, including the mayor of a major city. In announcing the measure on Monday, Ecuador’s President Guillermo Lasso paid tribute to the two victims, Agustín Intriago and Ariana Estefanía Chancay.

“No mother should have to bury her children and no child should grow up without their parent, much less because of a criminal attack,” Lasso wrote on Twitter. “Today Ecuador is in mourning.”

Lasso added that a suspect in the shooting has been taken into custody while investigations were under way.

The shooting took place on Sunday in the port city of Manta, where Intriago, 38, had recently begun a second term as mayor in May. He had been reelected in February.

More:
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/7/25/ecuador-announces-state-of-emergency-after-mayor-shot-to-death