British holidaymakers in Ecuador have told how their trip turned into “total chaos” amid the cartel violence that has gripped the country.
The South American nation has been plunged into disarray, after notorious gang leader Adolfo Macias, known as Fito, who is believed to have escaped from prison over the weekend.
Masked gunmen stormed a public TV studio during a live broadcast in the city of Guayaquil and bombs were detonated across the country on Tuesday.
More than 130 prison staff are being held hostage by inmates in five jails and there has been violence on the streets.
Landscaper Glenn Beachell, 64, from Sheffield, and his partner Magdalena Lopuszanska, 52, were having lunch in the capital Quito after returning from three weeks in the Galapagos islands when SWAT teams appeared.
Mr Beachell told MailOnline: ‘We heard gunfire and all the locals started running and screaming.
“These things escalate very quickly. I hope everyone can get back to their normal lives but I don’t think that’s going to happen.”
He went on to tell how the sound of traffic is usually “so loud you have to close your window” but “now it’s two cars a minute” as everyone is working and attending classes from home.
The couple is two of the many trying to escape the city but they said “travelling is the main problem”.
They were hoping to get a flight to Bogota, Colombia, on Wednesday night – one they managed to book “at an extortionate price”.
Meanwhile, Lynne Pineda, who is originally from Dumbarton in Scotland but has lived in Quito for the last 14 years, is planning to “sit in tight to see what happens next”.
The 50-year-old was at the dentist with her 11-year-old daughter when she saw notifications on her phone about what was going on and came out to an emptying car park.
She said there were constant reports of “lootings, robberies and just disturbances in general” while people rushed to get home as quickly as possible.
The mum, who believes Ecuador has become much more dangerous over the past four years, said: “There is hope that Noboa will regain control. He has a strong backing. The public is pleased he is taking the hardline and won't bow to these terrorists.
“I am not worried the situation will worsen now that the military has control and authority to neutralise these groups, it won't blow over any time soon though. It'll be a long battle with the narco-terrorists.”
On Wednesday, Mr Noboa said that his country was "at war" with drug gangs who are holding more than 130 prison guards and other staff hostage.
The day before, he 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.
The SNAI prisons agency has said guards account for 125 of the hostages, while 14 are administrative staff. Eleven people were freed on Tuesday, it said.
Videos circulating on social media purported to show prison staff being subjected to extreme violence, including being shot and hanging.
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, he said, and prisoners from Colombia, Peru and Venezuela account for 90% of jailed foreigners.
"We are investing more in those 1,500 people than in school breakfasts for our children. It's not an extradition, it's based on previous international agreements," Noboa added.
Ecuadorean sentences would only be recognized in Colombia if prisoners arrive via formal repatriation, agreed with Colombian authorities, Colombian Justice Minister Nestor Osuna told journalists. If Colombian prisoners are simply expelled, they would only be jailed if they have charges pending at home.
"If there is an expulsion we'll look at how many people, if they arrive at the border, really need to be detained by Colombian authorities," Mr Osuna said, expressing his "genuine solidarity" with the Ecuadorean people.
Colombia said on Wednesday it would increase military presence and controls along its nearly 600- 370-mile border with Ecuador.
The US has pledged aid within days, Noboa said. His $800 million security plan includes $200 million of weapons from the United States.
U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan condemned the "recent criminal attacks by armed groups" on Wednesday and said Washington was "willing to take concrete steps to improve our cooperation" with Ecuador's government.
