Police uprising pushes Ecuador into a state of emergency The crisis: Ecuador declared a state of emergency Thursday as hundreds of police protesting wage cuts blocked roads, shut the airport for several hours and sprayed tear gas and hot water on President Rafael Correa, who spent most of the day trapped in a hospital surrounded by rebellious police officers before being rescued by soldiers. At least five soldiers were wounded by gunfire in the 35-minute firefight to rescue Correa, the military command said.

The toll: The security minister said at least one person was killed and six injured earlier in the day as Correa's supporters clashed with insurgent cops outside the hospital. Criminals took advantage of the lawlessness, ransacking banks, supermarkets and shopping malls in the port city of Guayaquil, the country's largest, and 51 people were injured, the Red Cross said.

The issue: The uprising came a day after Ecuador's National Assembly passed a law that eliminated seniority bonuses and extended the time between police promotions. The law, government officials said, was designed to equalize salaries for all public employees by raising base pay. Instead, it brought the nation to its knees as police walked off the job and took to the streets.

A coup? Correa, 47, claimed that he was the target of an organized coup attempt, even though none of the protesters or members of the opposition demanded he step down. After being spirited away from the hospital, the U.S.-trained leftist economist told cheering backers: "There were lots of infiltrators, dressed as civilian ... There will be no pardon." He said he and his adviser could have been killed in the hospital "at any moment."

Another take: Correa's claim may be an attempt to drum up support among his allies, said Andres Ochoa, a researcher at the Washington-based Council on Hemispheric Affairs. "There is no clear leader trying to topple Correa," Ochoa said from Quito. "This is a protest gone wrong."

The background: Ecuador, which has defaulted on $3.2 billion of international debt since 2008, has seen three presidents ousted in the past 13 years. Correa, who took office in 2007, brought a modicum of stability to the politically tumultuous nation of 14 million, becoming the first president to win two terms when he won reelection last year.

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