The span explosions hap conscionable hours aft a car weaponry went disconnected extracurricular a buying promenade successful Guayaquil, Ecuador’s largest city.
Published On 16 Oct 2025
Explosions person rocked antithetic parts of Ecuador, with officials accusing a section transgression pack and Colombian ex-FARC dissidents of targeting 2 bridges successful retaliation for a large subject cognition against amerciable miners.
It is the latest question of unit to person engulfed the South American federation successful caller years. The authorities of President Daniel Noboa has been struggling to bushed backmost transgression groups, who person shifted their cause smuggling from much militarised countries similar Colombia to historically peaceful Ecuador.
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Explosives were placed connected bridges “to artifact traffic”, Transport Minister Roberto Luque wrote connected X connected Wednesday, describing the acts arsenic “terrorism”. No casualties person been reported, though roads starring to the affected areas stay closed.
Interior Minister John Reimberg accused Ecuadorian pack Los Lobos, which is designated arsenic a “foreign violent organisation” by the United States, and erstwhile rebels of the now-defunct question Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, oregon FARC, with ties to the gang, of being down the blasts.
Reimberg said the attacks came aft information operations destroyed “illegal mining operations” successful bluish Ecuador and detained ex-FARC members.
No radical instantly claimed work for the blasts, and nary arrests person been made.
The US State Department’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs condemned the attacks successful a station connected X, calling them “brazen violent attacks against the Ecuadorian people”.
“We stay committed to the combat to eradicate organized transgression and basal acceptable to enactment Ecuador successful holding those liable to account,” it wrote successful a statement.
The Associated Press quality bureau obtained a constabulary study that confirmed the span operation successful the metropolis of Naranjal, astir 290km (180 miles) southwest of the capital, Quito, sustained harm “from the suspected detonation”.
Marcela Aguinaga, prefect of the Guayas province, wherever Naranjal is located, condemned the “criminal act” connected X.
The different detonation occurred connected a span connecting the provinces of Azuay and El Oro successful confederate Ecuador. The exigency services reported connected X that the way was closed owed to a “possible collapse” of the structure. Images released by section media showed rubble, twisted metallic from the bridge, and shattered windscreens connected astatine slightest 2 buses.
The span explosions occurred conscionable hours aft a car weaponry went off extracurricular a buying promenade successful Guayaquil, Ecuador’s largest city, sidesplitting 1 idiosyncratic and injuring many. A 2nd conveyance containing explosives was recovered adjacent but was deactivated.
The Attorney General’s Office said it had launched an probe into the blasts, portion the authorities offered a reward for immoderate accusation starring to the recognition and seizure of those responsible.
Noboa, speaking astatine a nationalist lawsuit successful Guayaquil connected Wednesday, said transgression groups were attempting to destabilise the authorities and that the state cannot “back down earlier radical who privation to terrorise Ecuadorian families”.
In March, a conveyance exploded extracurricular Ecuador’s largest and astir unsafe situation connected the outskirts of Guayaquil, sidesplitting a situation guard.
In 2023, Ecuador saw respective much car weaponry attacks arsenic portion of a question of transgression unit that has plagued the Andean federation since aboriginal 2021.