Ecuador's president confirms deaths of kidnapped journalists

President of Ecuador Lenin Moreno on Friday confirmed the deaths of three press workers who were kidnapped by dissident Colombian rebel group last month near the border.

"Tragically, we have information which confirms the murder of our countrymen," said the president at a press conference, after an emergency meeting of the national public security council.

Moreno said that he had given the kidnappers until 10:50 a.m. local time Friday to provide proof that journalist Javier Ortega, photographer Paul Rivas and their driver Efrain Segarra, who worked for the local daily, El Comercio, were alive.

After the deadline expired, Moreno said that "it has been confirmed that these criminals never had the intention of delivering them safe and sound."

The team was captured in the area of Mataje in the northeastern province of Esmeraldas, near the Colombian border. The kidnapping was allegedly carried out by a dissident front of now extinct the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrilla group.

The president announced that Ecuador had got in touch with international cooperation organisms, the Red Cross and the Catholic Church "to immediately begin the finding and repatriation of the bodies of our countrymen."

He added that military and police controls would increase in the area of the kidnapping, along with "coordinated actions" carried out with Colombian forced along the border.

Moreno explained that he had asked the Colombian government, army and police to immediately begin these actions.

Ecuador is "suffering the consequences of the (armed) conflict in our brother nation," he said.

The announcement confirming the deaths of the journalists caused widespread grief in the country. On Thursday, photos allegedly showing the bodies of the team were published and were judged by experts to be authentic.

Ecuador had not previously suffered any such kidnappings along its border with Colombia, despite the presence of illegal armed groups and drug traffickers.

Security forces in the area have seen a rise in violence since January and have seized drugs, weapons and equipment worth 600 million U.S. dollars in recent months.

At least 22 members linked to such groups have been arrested while four soldiers have been killed and at least 40 more injured while they were on duty.