At least 22 people killed as gang violence erupts in Ecuador

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At least 22 people have been killed in Ecuador’s port city of Guayaquil after rival factions of a drug trafficking gang exchanged gunfire, highlighting the worsening law and order situation in the country before a presidential race.

Another three people were wounded in the violence, the police said in a statement as the death toll increased from 19 to 22 on Mar 7.

Police said the gunfight erupted on Mar 6 after opposing factions of a gang called Los Tiguerones, one of the most powerful in this formerly peaceful country, were caught in a dispute.

Guayaquil’s El Universo newspaper described the killing as a “massacre”, adding that the gangs were fighting over the territories they control.

According to the newspaper, several homes in the Socio Vivienda district of the city were targeted by at least 20 armed gang members, resulting in the multiple deaths.

Images and videos posted on X showed several heavily armed men running around the district of Socio Vivienda during the attack.

Emergency medical workers were also seen rushing injured people for treatment, as dozens of government security forces were deployed to the area.