HAVANA, January 10. /TASS/. Ecuador's prosecutor's office has filed charges against 17 inmates of the Riobamba prison who were captured after escaping from jail, the agency said on its X (formerly Twitter) page.

"The prosecutor's office has brought charges of escape against 17 prisoners who were caught after escaping from the Riobamba detention center," the agency said.

Earlier, the prosecutor's office said that a total of 39 people had escaped. There was no information whether Los Lobos criminal group leader Fabricio Colon Pico was among the captured fugitives.

On January 9, Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa signed a decree recognizing the country's "internal armed conflict" and ordered the neutralization of 22 criminal groups.

The security situation in Ecuador escalated on January 7 after the leader of the Los Choneros criminal gang, nicknamed Fito, escaped from prison. This was followed by riots in several prisons. On January 8, Noboa declared a state of emergency in the country and imposed a curfew.