Ecuador says no progress in alleged US boat strike case

Ecuador's government has acknowledged little progress in the search for eight fishermen missing since January from the boat Fiorella, in a case their families say involved a US military strike in the Pacific.

A May response by President Daniel Noboa's administration to the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances said the investigation had identified problems that hindered its progress. The document said prosecutors lacked direct National Police support in maritime territory and that there had not been effective, sustained coordination with the armed forces and the Navy-controlled port authority, which are responsible for the search.

The document did not mention American involvement in the Fiorella incident, but said Ecuador was cooperating with the United States to exchange information.

Families of the missing fishermen say the boat was set alight by the US military. Washington denies involvement. Two surviving crew members said they saw drones deployed by English-speaking people wearing uniforms with the US flag.

The UN committee called in April for Ecuador to investigate and search for the missing men. AFP reported that none of the missing people aboard the Fiorella has a criminal record for drug trafficking.

Since last September, US President Donald Trump has ordered strikes on boats in the Pacific and Caribbean that Washington alleges were trafficking drugs. The campaign has killed more than 200 people.

Attorney Jorge Chiriboga said two other ships were attacked by drones in March and intercepted by soldiers wearing uniforms bearing the US flag. He said the fishermen in those cases were handed to the Salvadoran Navy and returned to Ecuador.