Six dead, six wounded in Ecuador gang shooting

Six people were killed and six wounded Monday in an apparent gang shootout in Guayaquil, a port city in Ecuador terrorized by a wave of violence blamed on spiralling drug war, police said.

Police Colonel Marcelo Castillo told AFP that Guayaquil's second mass shooting this month appeared to have been a settling of scores between rival gangs.

The six injured were all stable. 

Such attacks have become ever-more frequent in Ecuador, especially in Guayaquil, as rival gangs ramp up the fight for drug markets and routes in the country's overcrowded prisons and on the streets -- leaving a trail of corpses in their wake.

More than 420 prisoners have died in vicious fighting between rival criminal groups in Ecuadoran prisons since February 2021, many beheaded or burnt alive.

Widespread corruption among guards has allowed inmates to obtain guns and explosives.

As the lawlessness spreads, there have been several car bomb explosions in Ecuadoran cities, and bodies discovered hanging from pedestrian bridges -- some without heads.

The country is also increasingly plagued by sadistic kidnappings, with criminals sending hostages' fingers to their loved ones to pressure them into paying more ransom.

In Monday's shooting, Castillo said the attackers arrived in a black vehicle in a populated neighbourhood in the early hours. "Four or five got out" and opened fire, despite several people being in the street.

"It is pure retaliation for previous acts of violence," the policeman said. "They kill each other without mercy."

He added that one of those killed had a record of "criminal association" and one of the wounded was known for involvement in drug trafficking.

Some 132 spent cartridges were found at the scene, said Castillo.