BOGOTÁ: Gunmen killed seven people at a pool hall in Ecuador’s Santo Domingo city, police confirmed on Sunday, marking the latest deadly attack in the nation’s escalating gang violence crisis.
National police reported the victims died from gunshot wounds in the nightlife district of Santo Domingo, located 150 kilometres west of Quito.
Authorities are investigating the massacre and pursuing the perpetrators, according to official statements shared via WhatsApp with reporters.
Online footage, purportedly from security cameras, showed masked attackers firing at two men outside the pool hall before entering to continue shooting.
The assailants fled before police arrived at the scene, though AFP could not independently verify the circulating video.
Local media suggested the killings may be linked to organised crime, echoing a similar pool hall attack last month that left nine dead in General Villamil Playas.
Ecuador’s homicide rate has surged from six per 100,000 residents in 2018 to 38 per 100,000 in 2024, with 4,051 killings recorded between January and May this year.
President Daniel Noboa’s government continues emergency measures in four provinces, including Guayas where 14 died in recent massacres, but violence persists.
Gangs exploit Ecuador’s strategic ports, dollarised economy, and corruption to control drug routes, with 73% of global cocaine shipments passing through the country.
Ecuador seized 294 tons of drugs in 2024, surpassing the previous year’s 221-ton record, as cartels expand operations from the nation once considered Latin America’s peace haven. – AFP