Troops arrayed after spate of crime attacks Ecuador

Two inmates were killed and six wounded in clashes inside the Guayas 1 prison, the SNAI prison authority said.

Following a wave of strikes Tuesday in which five police officers were killed, a state of emergency and nightly curfew has taken effect in the western provinces of Guayas and Esmeraldas.

A civilian who suffered a gunshot wound to the head on Tuesday died of the injuries the next day, health officials said, bringing the death toll from the attacks to eight.

Two police officials were also injured.

Groups armed with guns and explosives, including car bombs, hit more than 18 targets Tuesday in the cities of Guayaquil and Duran in Guayas province and in Esmeraldas along the border with Colombia.

Targets included police and gas installations, a clinic and a bus terminal.

President Guillermo Lasso declared a 45-day state of emergency in response, with a nightly 9pm-to-5am curfew for the two provinces and special powers to limit freedom of movement and assembly.

Classes in some areas were suspended.

On Wednesday, the streets of Guayaquil -- scene of much of the street and prison violence to have hit Ecuador since last year -- were unusually quiet. And nervous.

Jorge Arguello, the 36-year-old head of a publishing company, told AFP there was "fear on the streets" and he himself was afraid to leave home after spotting motorcycles -- associated with gangs and hitmen -- doing the rounds.

Anti-crime operations in the city of 2.8 million people, capital of the Guayas province, yielded 28 arrests early Wednesday, according to Interior Minister Juan Zapata.

Arms, ammunition and explosives were seized.

"It is scary to go out," said Guayaquil resident Elizabeth, 37, who did not want to give her full name for fear of reprisal.

"The nation is astonished by the actions of drug trafficking mafias, which in tandem with hired killers and common criminals are attempting to scare Ecuadorans," Defense minister Luis Lara said.