6 Killed, 8 Injured in Armed Attack in Ecuador

Six people were killed and at least eight wounded in an armed attack in the coastal city of Guayaquil, Ecuador, the second since early June, according to the authorities of the city.

Colonel Marcelo Castillo, the police chief of South Guayaquil, said it was a matter of settling scores, noting that six people had been killed, and the Public Prosecutor's Office explained later that the attack also resulted in eight wounded, who were taken to hospitals.

Castillo pointed out that the attack took place on Monday in a popular neighborhood in the city, stressing that over ten people were in the street "when a black car arrived and four to five people got out of it" and opened fire.

"This is about retaliation for past acts of violence. The mutual killings are merciless," he added.

One of the dead had precedents and was convicted of forming a gang of criminals, while one of the injured was convicted of drug issues, according to the police chief.

Investigators spotted 132 bullets at the crime scene.

Such attacks are frequent in Ecuador, especially in Guayaquil in the southwest of the country, and are the result of a struggle for influence between gangs competing for drug markets and smuggling routes.

Ecuador is experiencing the worst escalation of violence in its recent history.