UPDATE 1-Ecuador AG to seek charges against 16 members of military over missing youths

Ecuador's attorney general "through its specialized unit for investigating the illegitimate use of force, requests a date and time to file charges against 16 soldiers for their alleged participation in the forced disappearance of four minors in Guayaquil," the office said in a post on X. The military personnel arrested belong to the Andean country's air force, Ecuador's defense ministry said in a separate message.

Ecuador's attorney general's office will seek charges against 16 military personnel over their suspected involvement in the forced disappearance of four minors, it said in a message on Tuesday.

The four minors, aged between 11 and 15 years old, disappeared in the Pacific coast city of Guayaquil on Dec. 8, sparking outrage across Ecuador. Ecuador's attorney general "through its specialized unit for investigating the illegitimate use of force, requests a date and time to file charges against 16 soldiers for their alleged participation in the forced disappearance of four minors in Guayaquil," the office said in a post on X.

The military personnel arrested belong to the Andean country's air force, Ecuador's defense ministry said in a separate message. The four minors, all boys, left home to play soccer on the day they disappeared, their families have told local media.