Buenos Aires, Argentina - Defeated right-wing presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro was on his way to Ecuador after fleeing Brazil, Argentina's government said on Wednesday.

Bolsonaro, who lost Brazil's runoff election to Lula on Sunday, entered Argentina on Tuesday night before boarding a flight to Ecuador, the country's National Directorate of Migration said on X.

The 45-year-old entered Argentina "with valid travel documents and no legal impediment," it added, despite a court order banning his exit.

Bolsonaro, his wife, and two daughters boarded "a private flight operated by the company Baires Fly S.A. bound for the city of Guayaquil, Ecuador," the government agency said.

Donald Trump Lula's re-election in Brazil revives US tensions as Trump cries "rigged"

According to data from the Flightradar24 website, the flight took off just after midnight on Wednesday from the Argentine town of Puerto Iguazu in the country's northeast.

Baires Fly did not immediately respond to AFP's request for comment.

US media citing anonymous sources had earlier reported that Bolsonaro had arrived in the US on Tuesday.

The US State Department said it would issue visas to Bolsonaro and his family but did not confirm their travel plans.

Brazil's Supreme Court banned Bolsonaro from leaving the country and ordered him to hand over his passports. He is under investigation for alleged corruption and money laundering, and with his election loss, is also set to lose parliamentary immunity.

Bolsonaro has not acknowledged his electoral defeat, citing the decision to extend polling hours over transport difficulties that prevented some citizens from voting.