Breaking news, politics, economy, visas, safety, and lifestyle updates for expats living in Ecuador.
Two armed attacks in fewer than 15 days have shaken Salinas — Ecuador's best-known beach resort. Seven people were wounded in the Sunday attack on the malecón, and the canton has now recorded 13 homicides so far in 2026, two of them along the waterfront. Governor Xavier Negrete says he has formally notified Interior Minister John Reimberg. Here's what's known.
Ecuador's Armed Forces have inspected 663 of the country's 1,130 licensed private security firms so far, part of an escalating weapons-control campaign triggered by evidence that private security arsenals have been feeding organized crime. A January 2026 raid on a Los Lagartos-linked firm recovered 200+ weapons with altered serial numbers.
Ecuador's Ministry of Public Health says 25% of all medical visits to the public health system in January 2026 were caused by traffic accidents. In 2025, Ecuador recorded 20,346 traffic accidents, 17,932 people injured, and 2,354 killed. It's not a small problem.
Ecuador's military intercepted $50,540 in counterfeit $20 bills at Quito's Carcelén bus terminal on Sunday, April 12. The fakes — more than 5,000 bills — were handed to the National Police. Worth knowing if you handle dollar cash in Ecuador.
At 4:31 AM on Sunday, April 12, a bus and a light vehicle collided roughly one kilometer from the Olmedo toll plaza on the Via a la Costa in Santa Elena province. The crash killed four people and injured nine. Cause is under investigation.
A Primicias investigation published April 13 found 82 stretches of Ecuador's state highway network have been in 'permanent poor condition' for at least three years. Sucumbíos and Imbabura top the list by distance. Zamora leads by percentage — 95% of its state network is in poor shape.
Gregory Allen Krupa, 39, was last seen on April 9, 2026 in Quito's Bellavista neighborhood. Family, friends, and volunteers are actively searching in and around Parque Metropolitano Guangüiltagua. Authorities are accepting tips at 1800 DELITO.
In the Ietel neighborhood of north Guayaquil, residents have been without electricity for more than 15 hours since Sunday afternoon. Some families have resorted to sleeping inside their cars with the AC running. The heat wave turned a utility failure into a survival problem.
Power outages rippled through neighborhoods across Guayaquil, Daule, and Samborondón on April 12, with CNEL blaming transformer overloads from extreme AC demand during the heat wave. Residents are reporting four-hour outages or longer.
Ecuador's weather service INAMHI issued a rare warning on April 12 of an "unprecedented heat wave" with coastal cities clearing 35°C and heat index values approaching 40°C. The Litoral region is taking the brunt. Here's what that means for coastal expats.
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake hit 55 km east of Santa Elena early Saturday morning, April 4. The tremor was felt across six provinces including Guayas, but caused no structural damage, injuries, or tsunami alert. Here's what happened and what expats on the coast should know.
Ecuador's Interior Ministry reports a 28% decline in homicides for March 2026, alongside 4,300 arrests and 2,200 warrants executed. The numbers represent real progress, but the baseline is staggering: 2025 saw 9,216 homicides, making Ecuador one of the deadliest countries in Latin America.