Ecuador declares state of emergency in three provinces

Ecuadoran President Guillermo Lasso has imposed a state of emergency in three provinces over drug-related violence.
Lasso blamed drug trafficking gangs who use the country as a transit point for exporting narcotics to the United States and Europe for the violence.
He noted that police and soldiers will be deployed to patrol the three provinces during the two-month state of emergency, and a curfew enforced between 11pm and 5am.
According to official figures, drug trafficking in Ecuador has led to a surge in crime, with 1,255 people killed since the start of the year.