Ecuador President Daniel Noboa said that his country was "at war" with drug gangs who are holding more than 130 prison guards and other staff hostage and who briefly captured a TV station live on air and set off explosions in a surge of violence that has left city streets deserted.
Yesterday, Mr Noboa named 22 gangs as terrorist organisations, making them official military targets.
The president took power in November pledging to tackle a growing security problem caused by a rise in drug-trafficking gangs transporting cocaine through Ecuador.
"We are at war and we cannot cede in the face of these terrorist groups," Mr Noboa told radio station Canela Radio.
The hostage-takings, which began in the early hours of Monday, and the apparent escape of Los Choneros gang leader Adolfo Macias from prison over the weekend, spurred Mr Noboa to declare a 60-day state of emergency.
Read more: What do we know about the security crisis in Ecuador?
He hardened the decree yesterday after a series of explosions around the country and a dramatic takeover of a TV station by gunmen live on air.
The government has said the violence is a reaction to Mr Noboa's plan to build new high-security prisons for gang leaders and the president told the radio station that a design for two new facilities will be made public tomorrow.
"We are making every effort to recover all the hostages," he said, adding the armed forces have taken over the rescue effort. "We are doing everything possible, and the impossible, to get them safe and sound."
The SNAI prisons agency has said guards account for 125 of the hostages, while 14 are administrative staff. 11 people were freed yesterday, it said.
Videos circulating on social media showed prison staff being subjected to extreme violence, including being shot and hanging. Reuters could not immediately verify the authenticity of the videos.
Mr Noboa said the country will begin to deport foreign prisoners, especially Colombians, this week to reduce prison populations and spending.
There are some 1,500 Colombians in prison in Ecuador, according to the president, adding that prisoners from Colombia, Peru and Venezuela account for 90% of jailed foreigners.
Colombia's justice minister told local radio yesterday that he was willing to work with Ecuador, but that Colombian law dictated repatriations must be assessed on a case-by-case basis and be based on requests from prisoners themselves.
Colombia has, like many Latin American countries, expressed its support for Ecuador's government, and said it would increase military presence and controls along their nearly 600-kilometer shared border.
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Continued violence
The best way to safeguard the economy and foreign investment would be to improve security, Mr Noboa told the radio station, as well as ensure the rule of law.
Yesterday, politicians expressed their support for the armed forces and backed Mr Noboa's efforts.
Mr Noboa has a majority coalition in congress, after his party allied itself both with the leftist movement of former president Rafael Correa and a Christian party.
"I don't need their approval right now for what we are doing," Mr Noboa said, referencing the decrees, "but I have asked for their support."
Mr Noboa also met with ambassadors to Ecuador in Quito.
There have been 70 arrests since Monday in response to incidents including the TV station takeover, the police said.
Four police officers, who authorities say were kidnapped by criminals between Monday and Tuesday, are still being held. Three other officers were freed late yesterday.
Violence was ongoing in Guayaquil, the country's largest city, the police said, adding that they were identifying three bodies found in a burned-out car south of the city overnight.
Two police officers were killed by armed men yesterday in Guayas province, where Guayaquil is located. The police provided no further details.
Streets in Quito and Guayaquil were quiet this morning, with many businesses closed.
The Chinese embassy and consulates will be temporarily closed, said China, a major investor in Ecuador.
Schools were shut nationally, with classes taking place virtually. Residents said it felt like a return to pandemic lockdowns.
