Lenin Moreno. Pic/AFP

Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno has said that the three journalists abducted last month near the Colombian border are dead. "It is with great sadness that I announce the expiration of the established 12-hour deadline," he said at a packed press conference in Quito on Friday, Efe news reported. "We have not received proof of life and we, unfortunately, have information confirming the death of our fellow countrymen."