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Mass shooting in Ecuador leaves 8 dead as the country battles spate of violent crimes

Eight people have been killed and three injured in a nightclub shooting in rural Ecuador, in what police suspect is linked to organised crime. read more A shooting at a nightclub in rural Ecuador has left eight people dead and three others injured, in what authorities believe is the latest outbreak of violence linked to organised crime. Police Colonel Javier Chango said seven victims died at the scene, while another died later in hospital. The attack took place in Santa Lucia, a town of 38,000 in Guayas, one of four provinces placed under a two-month state of emergency earlier this week by President Daniel Noboa in an effort to tackle gang violence. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD According to Chango, the attackers arrived in two pick-up trucks and opened fire on customers drinking outside the Napoles nightclub at around 1:15 am local time (0615 GMT). They fled along an 'unknown route', leaving behind more than 800 cartridge cases. Among the dead was nightclub owner Jorge Urquizo, the brother of Santa Lucia's mayor. Police have yet to establish a motive. 'We are open to all hypotheses; we can't rule any out yet,' Chango told reporters. Ecuador recorded 4,619 homicides in the first half of 2025, a 47 per cent increase compared with the same period last year. Mass killings and high-profile violent incidents have surged since 2023, when the country experienced its deadliest year on record with 8,008 murders, equivalent to a rate of 47 per 100,000 inhabitants, up sharply from 6.7 per 100,000 in 2020, according to the US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants.