A brutal mass shooting at a bar in Ecuador’s Guayas province has left 17 people dead, including a 12-year-old boy, and 14 others injured.
The incident took place on Sunday night at La ClÃnica bar in the town of El Empalme.
According to local police, a group of armed men arrived in two pickup trucks and opened fire inside the crowded bar using pistols and rifles.
They also targeted a second group nearby as they escaped the scene. Witnesses said the young boy tried to run for more than a kilometre before collapsing due to gunshot wounds. He died at the scene.
Authorities recovered at least 40 shell casings from the area, indicating the intensity of the attack.
The gunmen are suspected to be linked to a local gang, possibly trying to assert control over drug trafficking routes.
Eyewitnesses said the attackers mentioned a gang name during the assault, which could suggest a connection to ongoing turf wars in the region.
The coastal province of Guayas has become a hotspot of gang-related violence in recent months.
Just last week, nine people were shot dead while playing pool in a bar in Playas, another town in the same province. Police later said those victims were not the intended targets.
Since President Daniel Noboa declared a nationwide crackdown on organized crime in 2024, Ecuador has seen a sharp increase in violent incidents.
The country now records one of the highest homicide rates in Latin America, with 38 killings per 100,000 people in 2024. So far in 2025, more than 4,000 homicides have already been reported.
Ecuador’s role as a major route for cocaine trafficking has contributed to the growing violence. Official sources estimate that around 75% of the world’s cocaine passes through the country.