17 dead in bar shooting in Ecuador

At least 17 people were killed and 11 others injured in a shooting in southwestern Ecuador, reported Xinhua, quoting local media on Monday.

The incident happened in the city of El Empalme, Guayas Province, on Sunday evening. About eight armed attackers arrived at a bar and then fired indiscriminately, according to the media reports.

The police said that a large-scale search of the surrounding area has been launched to hunt down the suspects, attributing the event to a confrontation between criminal gangs linked to drug trafficking.

Ecuador has been battling a severe security crisis since President Daniel Noboa declared an "internal armed conflict" in January 2024 against organized crime groups tied to drug trafficking.