Four bodies discovered last week are a group of boys reported missing at the start of the month, Ecuador's attorney general's office said on Tuesday, as a judge ordered detention for 16 military personnel while their alleged role in the disappearance is investigated.

Ecuador’s attorney general has confirmed that charred remains found last week in the city of Taura are the bodies of four minors who disappeared on December 8. The attorney general’s office announced the findings on Tuesday after the boys’ disappearance spurred nationwide outrage,

A judge in Ecuador on Tuesday ordered 16 members of the country's air force be detained while prosecutors investigate their alleged participation in the forced disappearance of four minors, the attorney general's office said.