Ecuador Oil Workers Escape Pumping Station
BAEZA, Ecuador (AP) - Two dozen Ecuadorean pipeline workers held hostage by protesters escaped Wednesday as soldiers and police battled to end violent demonstrations that have interrupted the flow of crude through the country's two main pipelines, officials said.
About 3,000 protesters hurled rocks and dynamite Wednesday at security forces in Baeza, located 30 miles from OCP Ecuador's pumping station, which was seized late Tuesday.
The takeover prompted President Alfredo Palacio to declare a state of emergency in the region.
The company said all 24 oil workers, who left when protesters weren't paying attention, were uninjured.
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