Quito, Nov 4 (IANS): Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso announced that 668 people have been arrested in the wake of violent attacks by criminal gangs during a prisoner transfer.

Since Tuesday, Ecuador has experienced a series of attacks, including shootings, car bombs, in the provinces of Guayas, Esmeraldas and Santo Domingo, resulting in the deaths of five policemen and a civilian, reports Xinhua news agency.

The attacks occurred when 1,002 inmates were to be transferred to other prisons from the Litoral Penitentiary in Guayas, the largest prison in Ecuador.

Among those inmates are leaders of drug trafficking organizations, according to the Ecuadorian government.

Lasso declared a 45-day state of emergency in Guayas and Esmeraldas on Tuesday, imposing curfew from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.

In face of the violent armed attacks, over 1,000 policemen and soldiers intervened to regain control of the prison on Thursday.

The Ecuadorian president ordered the security forces to act harshly within the framework of the law against what he called the "acts of sabotage and terrorism".