Violence Rattles Ecuador as Nightclub Arson Kills 2 and Bomb Scare Sparks an Evacuation

Violence Rattles Ecuador as Nightclub Arson Kills 2 and Bomb Scare Sparks an Evacuation
Soldiers stop a pedestrian to search for weapons as the man's dog jumps around, during military patrols in residential areas of northern Quito, Ecuador, on Jan. 11, 2024. Dolores Ochoa/AP Photo
The Associated Press
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QUITO, Ecuador—A bomb threat sent an anti-explosives unit scrambling into a bustling area of Ecuador’s tense capital Thursday while authorities in an eastern city reported a nightclub arson killed two people as the South American country staggers under a spike of violence blamed on drug gangs.

Police in the capital, Quito, said they evacuated people from the area surrounding the Playón de la Marín bus station when they were alerted about a backpack with an alleged explosive placed in a garbage can.