- Title: ECUADOR: Wife of Japanese tourist murdered in Guayaquil leaves hospital
- Date: 9th January 2014
- Summary: GUAYAQUIL, ECUADOR (JANUARY 08, 2014) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF EXTERIOR OF ABEL GILBERT HOSPITAL WHERE MARIKO HITOMI WAS BEING TREATED FOR INJURIES HOSPITAL WAITING ROOM GENERAL VIEW OF DOCTOR ERNESTO DIAZ (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) DOCTOR ERNESTO DIAZ SAYING: "The recovery of the patient (referring to Mariko Hitomi) was satisfactory. The patient recuperated very quickly. She had
- Embargoed: 24th January 2014 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Ecuador
- Country: Ecuador
- Topics: Crime,Travel / Tourism
- Reuters ID: LVA9ZV8IO1X4LSH49KT5WIT5N1JI
- Story Text: An Ecuadorean doctor confirmed on Wednesday (January 08) that Mariko Hitomi was released from a Guayaquil hospital where she was taken following a brutal attack that left her husband dead.
Tetsuo and Mariko Hitomi were in Guayaquil on their honeymoon where they fell victim to an apparent 'express kidnapping' during which Tetsuo was killed by unidentified assailants.
"The recovery of the patient (referring to Mariko Hitomi) was satisfactory. The patient recuperated very quickly. She had little pain, the patient began to recover her intestinal functions normally and was released today after verifying that the patient would be able to tolerate food intake without any problems," Doctor Ernesto Diaz told Reuters Television.
Authorities launched an intense search for the suspects in a case that even caught the attention of President Rafael Correa who condemned the attack.
Guayas Governor Rolando Panchana told reporters that foreign citizens enjoyed practically the same rights as nationals, adding that the crime was being treated in the same way if it had been against an Ecuadorean national.
"Our constitution - and I say this because I helped to write it in the Assembly - gives foreign citizens while staying in Ecuador practically the same rights as our citizens. So for us, this atrocious crime is as if it was committed against and Ecuadorean. And we are working to find those responsible and bring them to justice without further delay," Panchana said.
Meanwhile, tourists continued milling around parts of Guayaquil, including German national Sebastian Bolivar who said tourists should avoid taking taxis off the street.
"I really recommend to speak with the local people first, to have an idea of which areas are safe and which place is really good to go and what time it is good to go there. And another this is that you should always take an official taxi and never take any taxi on the street," Bolivar said.
According to reports, the couple was attacked by a group of people who followed them by car after they boarded a taxi at their hotel. According to local media reports, Tetsuo was shot multiple times and was found dead at the scene.
Mariko, 27, was shot in the abdominal region as well as in the leg. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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