Blown engine diverts flight to Guayaquil; Turi official complains about mall traffic; National orchestra performs; Councilor wants regulation of tourist buses

A Latam Quito-to-Cuenca flight diverted to Guayaquil Tuesday afternoon following an engine blow-out. The flight was on its landing approach to the Mariscal La Mar airport about 2 p.m. when the engine exploded and briefly caught fire.

The pilot retracted the landing gear and continued to Guayaquil’s José Joaquín de Olmedo airport where the plane landed without incident 20 minutes later. According to Latam management, the pilot followed protocol for such emergencies. “The Guayaquil airport, due to its size, has greater emergency infrastructure and a longer runway,” it said. “Our pilot followed the proper procedure in rerouting the flight.”

Latam crew examine the jet that was diverted to Guayaquil on Tuesday following an engine explosion.

Passengers on the flight reported a “violent shock” when the engine exploded, some saying they saw flames coming from the damaged engine.

Turi official complains about mall traffic
Milton Jarama, president of the Turi government, says the traffic generated by the new Mall del Alto on the Cuenca-Azogues autopista is “out of control.” He claims that cars are parking illegally on the autopista and on the road leading to Turi, and that increased traffic is causing traffic jams on both roads.

“The municipal government must act immediately to resolve the problem, since it affects not only the residents of Turi but motorists using the highway,” Jarama said. “Cuenca officials were warned of insufficient parking at the mall but they had no plan to control the problem.”

Police ticketed more than 200 vehicles for illegal parking near the mall last week, but residents say the practice continues.

Jarama also claims that construction is causing “movement of the earth” above the mall and worries that landslides could affect property owners.

Councilor wants regulation of tourist buses
Municipal councilman Roman Carabajo wants regulation of double-decker tourist buses. “Ten years ago there was one bus that went to Turi and back but today there are six or seven and they operate without rules,” he says. “I will introduce an ordinance to end this free-for-all.”

Carabajo wants the tourist routes standardized with oversight by the city tourist and transportation offices and rules to control what he calls the “aggressive solicitation” of customers near Parque Calderon.

“Last year, a tour bus damaged an historic balcony on Simon Bolivar, a street where municipal transport buses are not permitted. Tourist buses should follow the same rules,” he said.

National symphony orchestra performs Friday
As part of a tour of major cities, the National Symphony Orchestra of Ecuador will perform in Cuenca Friday at 8 p.m. at the Pumapungo Theater. Admission will be free but capacity is limited. The concert will include the overture to “The Merry Wives of Windsor” by Carl Otto Nicolai, the “Adagio” from the ballet Spartacus by Aram Khachaturian, the overture to “The Merry Widow” by Franz Lehár, the overture to “Manfred” by Robert Schumann, and “Romeo and Juliet, Overture-Fantasy” by Tchaikovsky.

The program will also include a medley of Ecuadorian music performed by violinist Santy Abril.