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Gunmen Attack Santa Lucía Nightclub, Killing Eight

President Daniel Noboa’s two-month emergency decree remains in force as investigators seek a motive for the attack.

Military personnel patrols the streets during an operation against gangs and violence on February 9, 2024 in Los Rios, Ecuador.
Ecuador, once a peaceful haven between the world's two top cocaine exporters Colombia and Peru, has seen violence erupt in recent years as gangs with ties to Mexican and Colombian cartels vie for control

Overview

  • Investigators say heavily armed gunmen on motorcycles and in pickup trucks opened fire on patrons outside a Santa Lucía nightclub at 1:15 a.m.
  • Among the fatalities was nightclub owner Jorge Urquizo, who was the brother of Santa Lucía’s mayor.
  • Three people were wounded, while seven victims died at the scene and one succumbed to injuries at a local hospital.
  • Police recovered 800 spent cartridge cases but have not yet identified any suspects.
  • The assault follows a boat bombing in El Oro Province two days earlier and highlights a broader surge that has pushed Ecuador’s homicide toll above 4,600 this year.