Ecuador authorities have detained as many as 350 people during mass protests triggered by government's decision to cancel fuel subsidies, country's Interior Ministry said on Friday.
"As of 9 am (local time), the Ecuadorian security forces over the past 24 hours have detained 350 people during the protests," a statement by country's Interior Minister Maria Paula Romo read, as reported by Sputnik. "Most of them have been detained in Guayaquil (159 people), the second [largest number of detained people] in Quito (118 people)".
Earlier this week, Ecuadorian President Lenin Moren had announced the decision to end decades-long fuel subsidies for people in view that the state could no longer afford them, and the cuts could help the country save an estimated USD 2.27 billion a year.
Additionally, the cuts were part of the Ecuadorian government's deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to be eligible for a loan amounting USD 4.2 billion.
Mass protests erupted on Thursday after fuel prices soared when the decision came into effect.
As civil unrest grew progressively violent, Moreno declared a national two-month state of emergency.