Crime occurred three days after another massacre in which six people died, including a baby
Seven people died and ten were injured on New Year’s Eve during an armed attack in the southwestern port city of Manta. the police reported this Thursday (1st). “On site [do ataque] two died, and five in hospitals”, explained Rivadeneira. In principle, the police had reported six deaths. Officers suspect that the attack was the result of a “fight for territory between criminals”, added the police chief of Manta, although the police report shows that the deceased had no criminal record.
The local press reported that Wednesday’s attack occurred around 11pm (1am on Thursday in Brasília) when a group of people were celebrating New Year’s Eve outside a residence. Colonel Carlos Rivadeneira, police chief of Manta, told journalists that seven people in total had died, including a child. Ten people were injured.
The crime occurred three days after another massacre in which six people died, including a baby. The two massacres were recorded in the province of Manabí, where on Wednesday, along with eight other provinces, a state of exception was declared due to the increase in homicides.
After the attack, the gunmen left “threatening leaflets, which gives us the impression that this is a rival gang,” Rivadeneira added. Ecuador is waging a war against drug trafficking gangs with connections to international cartels, which, in their dispute for power, have turned it into the most violent country in Latin America.
The South American country closes 2025 with a new record for homicides. Between January and November this year, more than 8,300 people were murdered, according to data from the Ministry of the Interior. This figure exceeds the number of violent deaths recorded in 2023, when the country reached a record of 47 homicides for every 100,000 inhabitants. The Organized Crime Observatory estimates that the 2025 rate will be 52 violent deaths for every 100,000 inhabitants.
*With information from AFP
