Ecuador extends state of emergency over influx of Venezuela migrants

The government of Ecuador has extended the state of emergency in several provinces due to a high volume of Venezuelan refugees, local media reported citing an Ecuadorian minister.

The undersecretary of the Ecuadorian migrant community, Jorge Icaza, said the state of emergency had been prolonged in Carchi, El Oro and Pichincha provinces, according to the Nacional news portal.

The state of emergency has been in place in these three provinces since August.

Venezuela has been struggling with the economic crisis due to a global slump in oil prices. Lenín Moreno, the president of Ecuador, has said earlier that his country takes in about 6,000 Venezuelan migrants per day.