At least 14 civilians were killed and three others injured on Sunday in two separate shootings in La Guayas province, near the town of El Empalme in southwestern Ecuador, as drug-related gang violence continues to escalate across the country.

Oscar Valencia, the police chief of El Empalme, confirmed that the initial attack took place outside a liquor store where assailants in two pickup trucks opened fire on a group of people using pistols and rifles. “They fired indiscriminately in all directions,” he said, adding that 12 people were killed and three others wounded in the first assault.

A second group of civilians was attacked shortly afterward nearby, resulting in two additional deaths. Authorities believe the same gunmen were behind both shootings.

Ecuador has seen a dramatic rise in gang-related violence in recent years, fueled by competing drug trafficking groups vying for control. In 2024, the country recorded a homicide rate of 38 per 100,000 inhabitants, one of the highest in Latin America.