A judge in Ecuador has ordered the detention of 16 air force members accused of involvement in the disappearance of four children, whose charred remains were discovered weeks after they were seen being forced into a military patrol car against their will.

An Ecuadorean judge has ordered the arrest of 16 soldiers charged with the disappearance of four children who went missing three weeks ago in the coastal city of Guayaquil

Ecuadorian police have found an undisclosed number of bodies in an area close to a military base. Authorities are now probing if the bodies could be those of some of the four children who were last seen taken by men in military uniform earlier this month.

Four charred bodies found near an Ecuador military base were identified Tuesday as four boys who were last seen being forced into a military patrol car. A judge has ordered the detention of 16 air force members.

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.