Ecuador: 10 killed, 3 injured in armed attack in port Guayaquil

Ten people were killed and three others were injured in an armed attack in the Ecuadorean port city of Guayaquil, authorities said on Sunday (April 30). According to the police, the injured included a five-year-old girl. The girl is in stable condition and was going to be operated for shrapnel, the police said. Taking to Twitter, the Ecuadorean Prosecutor's Office said that a rifle and 9-millimetre calibre guns were found at the crime scene. There were no immediate arrests.

Speaking to reporters, National Police Commander William Villaroel said the armed attack had to do with a struggle between organised criminal groups over the fight for territorial control.

"At the moment, our investigation and intelligence units are carrying out operational actions in order to identify those responsible," Villaroel added.

Describing the attack, the top police official said several people drove up in a black truck, stepped out without saying a word, and opened fire using long weapons.
Speaking to the news agency AFP, a resident said, "I don't feel comfortable living like this. We can't go out with our families, with our children."

On April 1, the government declared a state of emergency in Guayaquil and surrounding areas to curb surging violence in the Pacific port city. The measure included a curfew from 1 am until 5 am.

Guayaquil has become one of Ecuador's increasingly bloody centres of the turf war between rival drug-trafficking gangs. The port city's position on the Pacific coast makes it a strategic launch point for shipments of drugs to the United States and Europe.

This latest attack comes as Ecuador has seen a recent surge in violence, including gang- and cartel-related murders and multiple prison riots and massacres. And as the fight against criminal gangs continues, the number of drug seizures has risen but so have violent deaths.

Two weeks back, nine people were killed after 30 gunmen opened fire in a fishing port in the northwestern province of Esmeraldas.

(With inputs from agencies)

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