A brazen shooting at a nightclub in the western province of Guayas has left at least eight people dead and several others injured, underscoring the ongoing security crisis gripping Ecuador. The attack, which occurred in the rural town of Santa Lucía, involved heavily armed gunmen who arrived in vehicles and on motorcycles, opening fire on a crowd outside the establishment. Among the victims was the brother of the city’s mayor.
The incident occurred early Sunday morning, with police reporting that seven victims died at the scene and an eighth later succumbed to their injuries at a hospital. While the motive for the attack is still under investigation, authorities have attributed the escalating violence in the region to turf wars between organized crime groups with ties to transnational drug cartels. The attack took place in Guayas, a province that, along with El Oro, Manabí, and Los Ríos, is currently under a state of emergency declared by President Daniel Noboa. The declaration, which was issued on August 6 and is set to last for 60 days, cites “serious internal unrest” as the reason for the measure.
This latest shooting is part of a pattern of violence that has plagued Ecuador, a country once considered a haven of peace in Latin America. Recent months have seen a sharp surge in homicides and other violent crimes, with over 4,600 people killed so far this year. The violence is concentrated in the coastal provinces, which serve as a critical route for drug smuggling to Central America, the United States, and Europe. Just two days prior to the nightclub shooting, a separate attack on a boat in El Oro province left four people dead.
The government’s response has included the declaration of states of emergency and a militarization of the streets and prisons. However, this strategy has not yet stemmed the bloodshed. Human rights organizations have raised concerns that these measures, including new laws granting the president sweeping powers, could lead to human rights abuses by security forces.