News
TV studio taken over by masked bandits while live on air
A live broadcast by Ecuadorean television station TC was interrupted on Tuesday by armed people who obliged staff to lie and sit on the floor, as shots and yelling were heard.
The people, wearing balaclavas and largely dressed in black, were seen wielding large guns and accosting huddled staffers on the live feed, which eventually cut out, according to a report from Reuters.
Some of the invaders gestured at the camera and someone could be heard yelling “no police”.
Another channel showed images of police outside TC’s studios in Guayaquil. The national police said on social media its specialized units had been deployed to the site.
The incident followed the kidnappings of at least seven police officers and a series of explosions, a day after President Daniel Noboa declared a state of emergency.