Port Inferno Blamed on Welding — Or Worse?

Thirty-six Ecuadorian fishermen say U.S. drones bombed their boats and American forces kidnapped and tortured them at sea — but the Pentagon flatly denies it, and official investigators say a welding fire started the whole thing.

Story Snapshot

Survivors from two separate incidents claim drones attacked their boats and U.S. forces held them captive for up to eight days.
The Pentagon denies any role in sinking the vessels or detaining the crews.
Ecuadorian police and fire officials say a welding accident sparked the blaze that destroyed dozens of boats at the port of Manta.
The crew of one missing boat, the Don Maca, was found alive in El Salvador — some with vision loss, hearing loss, and bruised limbs.

What the Fishermen Say Happened

Thirty-six survivors from two separate incidents told Drop Site News that drones bombed their boats in the Pacific Ocean. They say a blue patrol ship then arrived, and American forces handcuffed and hooded them. One survivor called home on an emergency line and described “an American aircraft, two drones, and a blue patrol ship” circling his vessel. The men say they were held on a scorching metal deck for up to eight days before being handed over to Salvadoran authorities.

The fishing boat Don Maca left the port of Manta on March 18 and went silent on March 26. It was found roughly 700 miles from home, and its 20 crew members ended up in El Salvador. Their lawyer, Jorge Chiriboga, confirmed the men were safe and in the care of Salvadoran officials. But the crew arrived with serious injuries — vision and hearing loss, bruised limbs, and puncture wounds — raising hard questions about what happened to them at sea. ^[3]^[4]

What Officials Say — and Why It Conflicts

Ecuadorian police and the Manta fire chief say a welding accident started the port fire. They say flames spread fast through tightly packed wooden and fiberglass boats, destroying at least 35 vessels. ^[1] Officials ruled out any criminal attack and launched an investigation. No bomb fragments, bullet holes, or signs of an outside strike were found in official reports. The welding explanation covers the port fire — but it does not directly address what the fishermen say happened to them far out at sea.

The Pentagon denied any role in sinking the vessels or detaining crews. ^[10] That denial is the U.S. government’s full public response — no radar data, no flight logs, and no detailed rebuttal have been released. Without that evidence either way, the gap between survivor testimony and official denial stays wide open. Months after the incidents, more questions than answers remain.

Reasons to Be Cautious About Both Sides

The survivor accounts are striking, but they come with real limits. The testimony was gathered after the fact by Drop Site News, a small outlet known for critical coverage of U.S. military actions. No independent radar data, ship logs, or real-time records have surfaced to back the fishermen’s story. The exact location where the Don Maca was found is also disputed — one report places it inside Ecuador’s coastal zone, another puts it in Salvadoran waters. ^[2]^[3]

#Ecuador(June 6) A massive fire tore through Ecuador’s major fishing port of Manta this Saturday, destroying at least eight vessels and eighteen smaller boats. Witnesses reported hearing multiple explosions before flames rapidly spread through the harbor pic.twitter.com/kmkR2HEebp

— Ian Collins (@Ian_Collins_03) June 12, 2026

At the same time, the official denial carries its own problems. The Pentagon offered no supporting evidence — just a flat “no.” Ecuadorian authorities explained the port fire but said nothing about what happened to the Don Maca crew hundreds of miles offshore. It is worth noting that in 2025, the U.S. military carried out a series of strikes on Venezuelan boats under President Trump’s orders, saying those vessels were linked to drug trafficking. ^[8] That context makes the fishermen’s claims harder to simply wave away — and it makes a full, transparent accounting from the U.S. government more important, not less.