Watch: Terrifying moment gunmen break in to Ecuador TV station live on air

Gun-wielding masked men broke onto the set of a public television channel in Ecuador during a live broadcast on Tuesday, 9 January.

It came as the country's president issued a decree declaring that the South American country had entered an “internal armed conflict.”

Footage showed men armed with pistols and what appeared to be sticks of dynamite entering the set of the TC Television network.

The country has faced a series of attacks, including the abductions of several police officers, in the wake of a powerful gang leader’s apparent escape from prison.