Ten dead bodies were discovered by the Ecuadorian police on Sunday on a plot of land in the village of Guabo located in El Oro province in the south of the country, writes TASR according to Reuters.
“There are nine lifeless bodies and a kilometer away is a completely dismembered corpse in a jute sack.” local police chief Pablo Fajardo told reporters. The nationality of the victims is currently unknown, but according to Fajardo, they could be foreigners who were attacked while they were resting or sleeping. The police chief added that other people who were with the victims were able to escape.
They were found at the crime scene 9mm cartridges as well as ammunition used in 5.56mm rifles.
The findings of the preliminary investigation indicate that victims could have a record in the criminal register for illegal trading in the so-called controlled substances, robbery and attempted murder. So far, no arrests have been made in connection with the murders.
Violence has increased in Ecuador in recent years, which the local authorities attributed to drug gangs fighting for control. Rising crime this year forced Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa to declare a state of emergency in many provinces and designate nearly two dozen gangs as terrorist groups.
A state of emergency is currently in effect in six provinces, including El Oro, AFP reports. It gives the police wider powers, for example the possibility of conducting house searches without a court order. Citizens, on the other hand, have suspended rights such as freedom of assembly.
