Ten people were killed, including one found completely dismembered, early Sunday morning in a rural area of southwest Ecuador which is placed in a state of emergency, police said.
“There are nine bodies shot and a kilometer further inland, there is a body found completely dismembered in a bag […]. In total, ten bodies” were found in the canton of El Guabo, in the province of El Oro, Colonel Pablo Fajardo, police commander of the region, told the press on Sunday morning.
All victims were killed by bulletsa police spokesperson told AFP. Investigators found at the scene automatic rifle bullets and nine millimeter bullets.
“They were attacked while they were resting,” said Colonel Fajardo, who clarified that some of the victims were foreigners, although their nationality has not yet been confirmed.
Some bodies were found inside a house, while others were lying on a nearby road. “They were trying to escape this massacre”added Colonel Fajardo.
The victims “had come here a few days ago. They had rented a property in this rural area” known as La Victoria, he added. Police are investigating and have yet to provide any clues about who was responsible for the massacre.
State of emergency
El Oro is one of six Ecuadorian provinces under a state of emergency due toan increase in violence. Los Ríos, Manabí, Santa Elena, El Oro and the Amazonian province of Orellana, as well as the cities of Quito (province of Pichincha) and the mining town of Camilo Ponce Enríquez (in Azuay) are part of this list.
In his fight against organized crime, President Daniel Noboa has continued to appeal for this measure which suspends rights such as freedom of assembly and the inviolability of the home.
The government claims that between January and October it managed to reduce the homicide rate compared to last year, going from 6,037 for the same period in 2023 to 4,959 this year.
Violent deaths in Ecuador have skyrocketed in recent years. The homicide rate increased from 6 murders per 100,000 inhabitants in 2018 to 47 in 2023.
