Despite state of emergency, 10 killed in Ecuador armed attack
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Police say a shooting in Guayaquil, Ecuador, killed 10 people as the city is put under a state of emergency due to drug-related violence ravaging the city.
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Police officers search oncoming traffic for weapons and drugs at a pop up checkpoint, Guayaquil, Ecuador, December 14, 2021 (Reuters)
An overnight armed attack in Guayaquil, Ecuador, has resulted in the death of at least 10 people, Ecuadorian police said on Sunday.
Eyewitnesses said a shooting occurred at a mechanic shop located in the southwestern region of the city, where bloodied bodies were scattered on the street's sidewalks, while survivors were seen clasping onto each other as they reached for safety.
Ecuadorian Attorney General's Office tweeted that it had launched a "preliminary investigation into the murder of 10 people, following an armed attack on Saturday night," which wounded two others.
Guayaquil is Ecuador's main port city and its economic center, but recently it was put under a state of emergency as drug-related violence surged in the city amid a turf war between the city's rival drug-trafficking gangs.
The city's strategic geographical location puts it in a perfect position to harbor the export of drugs to European and North American markets.
The mass shooting adds to a collection of gang- and cartel-related acts of violence, including various prison riots and massacres, as authorities try to contain the bloody brutality in Ecuador by cracking down on organized violence and seizing drugs.
A witness told AFP, "There was a shooting" near the mechanic shop where several people were drinking when a group of armed people "on motorcycles came and ended the lives of those who were here."
