Ecuador army rescues captive President Rafael Correa

Soldiers in Ecuador have rescued President Rafael Correa from a police hospital after a day of protests by security forces angry at benefit cuts, reports BBC News.

Mr Correa was rescued after soldiers opened fired on dissident police. Moments after being freed he appeared on the balcony of Quito's presidential palace and spoke to thousands of cheering supporters.He thanked the crowds and said he had just lived through the saddest day of his government.

The violence came after dark on a day of unrest in Ecuador that the president and his supporters said amounted to an an attempted coup. Mr Correa had been holed up in the police hospital, where he was treated after being hit by tear gas in a confrontation.

Hundreds of police, angry over a law that would cut their benefits, appeared to have prevented him from leaving the clinic. Under cover of darkness Mr Correa was reportedly smuggled out of the hospital in a wheelchair even as a gunbattle between troops and police was under way.

Unrest had been reported across Ecuador on Thursday amid anger at a new law cutting benefits for public servants.

Speaking to his supporters, Mr Correa said he hoped the events of the day would serve "as an example to those who want to bring a change and stop the citizens' revolution without going through the polls."