FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
Eight people were killed today when a group of armed men opened fire outside a nightclub in a rural community in southwestern Ecuador, police said.
The perpetrators arrived at the scene in two vans and opened fire on a group of people drinking alcohol on the street, in front of the entrance to the disco, at around 1:15 am (local time) in the city of Santa Lucia in the province of Guayas.
Officers found "several injured people and seven bodies" upon arriving at the scene, police Brigadier General Javier Chango said at a press conference.
An eighth person died from his injuries while being treated at a local hospital, he added.
Among the dead is a man identified as Jorge Urquijo, the brother of the mayor of the city of 38,000 and a nightclub owner.
Police found about 80 9mm cartridges and automatic weapons at the scene. After the attack, the gunmen returned to their vehicles and fled by an "unknown route," the brigadier general added.
In that area, authorities arrested a man armed with a revolver who was traveling in a pickup truck, but they were unable to determine whether this man was involved in the attack.
Police have not yet determined the cause of the massacre.
The city of Santa Lucia declared a day of mourning today. "We unite in our grief and prayer in the face of this violent act that has affected our community," the office of Mayor Ubaldo Urquijo wrote on social media.
Guayas is one of four provinces in which President Daniel Noboa recently extended a state of emergency for two months in order to combat gang violence.
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