At least 10 people, including two police officers, were killed in the war waged by security forces and the army in Ecuador against drug gangs since the president declared a state of emergency across the country on Monday, according to preliminary figures announced by the police on Tuesday evening.

Guayaquil, a coastal city in southwest Ecuador, witnessed at least eight deaths and three injuries during ongoing security force operations against drug cartels. The national police reported the brutal killing of two officers by armed criminals in the nearby city of Nobol.

In response to rising violence, President Daniel Noboa declared a state of emergency across Ecuador, including prisons.

This followed the escape of Vito, the leader of the country's most dangerous criminal gang, and unrest in several prisons. The president issued a decree mobilizing the armed forces and national police to address the "armed internal conflict" against organized crime and terrorist organizations.

Ecuador has become a key transit point for cocaine export from Peru and Colombia, leading to the strengthening of criminal gangs. The country has been experiencing violence due to power struggles among local gangs affiliated with Mexican and Colombian cartels.