Gunmen killed at least 17 people and wounded 11 more in an attack on a bar in Ecuador's coastal Guayas province, Ecuador's prosecutor's office said, adding that it was investigating the incident, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
The prosecutor's office said more than 40 pieces of ballistic evidence were found at the scene. Local media published photos showing bodies lying on the ground, some of them covered with white sheets.
The attack took place on Sunday in the town of Empalme, about 160 km north of the city of Guayaquil. The area is considered one of the most dangerous in Ecuador, where organized crime groups fight for control of key drug smuggling routes.
Early last year, Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa declared a situation of "internal armed conflict", but despite the measures taken, violence in Guayas has significantly escalated. Although Noboa boasted a 15% drop in violent deaths last year, the Interior Ministry says the number rose again by 47% year-on-year in the first six months of 2025, reaching 4,619.
Last month, Ecuador's National Assembly approved a reform that gives the government more power to fight armed groups and dismantle the drug trafficking networks that fuel their businesses.