A deadly assault by unidentified gunmen in Ecuador's coastal city of Guayaquil killed nine people and injured 10 others, according to police reports on Sunday.
This incident was perpetrated on Sunday around 7 p.m. in the southern neighborhood of Guasmo, as gunmen arrived at a pedestrian street in a grey Chevrolet Spark, where people were engaged in sports activities.
The gunmen exited their vehicle and opened fire at the people, targeting the common people on the street. Police Col. Ramiro Arequipa told journalists on Sunday, "So far, the result is nine people dead and 10 injured," AP News reported.
No organization has claimed responsibility for the attack yet. This tragic incident marked the second mass killing within two days.
On Friday, an armed group killed five kidnapped individuals in the coastal province of Manabi. Those five people were tourists who mistakenly got involved in a local drug-trafficking conflict, as per the police. However, no further details regarding the matter have been disclosed yet.
Following this incident, President of Ecuador Daniel Noboa took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to address killings and kidnappings, where a total of 11 people were kidnapped in total. However, six people were rescued, including five minors.
Cualquier ataque contra un ecuatoriano es un ataque al Ecuador.
— Daniel Noboa Azin (@DanielNoboaOk) March 30, 2024
Lo sucedido en Santa Elena y Manabí nos recuerda que la batalla continúa. La Policía Nacional se encuentra desplegada y como resultado hemos capturado a uno de los secuestradores de Ayampe, no descansaremos hasta… pic.twitter.com/2brJHWzmhB
"Any attack against an Ecuadorian is an attack on Ecuador," the president wrote over the weekend, adding that this incident should remind everyone that the battle continues.
"The National Police is deployed and as a result, we have captured one of the Ayampe kidnappers, we will not rest until we find the others," he wrote in Spanish (translated by Google). "This is a sign that narcoterrorism and its allies are looking for spaces to scare us, but they will not succeed."
He added, "My solidarity with the families who have been victims of the violence of the terrorists who intend to destroy our country."
Talking about the condition of the Latin American country, at least three prisoners were killed and six injured in an overnight revolt in an Ecuador prison, from which one of the country's most feared gang leaders escaped in January, authorities said Thursday.
It marked the latest prison violence in Guayaquil -- the port city that has become a dangerous hub for cocaine exports to neighboring countries.
The Noboa-led administration said earlier this year that Ecuador is aiming to bolster security measures by allocating an additional $214 million in funding for 2024.
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