At least 455 children and teenagers died violently between January and September in Ecuador, where on Monday four minors, including an infant, were murdered by gunmen, the Office of the Ombudsman, an authority similar to that of the Ombudsman, announced on Wednesday.

In a press release from the authority, it is stated that somewhere “455 minors were murdered from January to September 2023” and the “extremely serious situation” in the province of Guayas is highlighted.

According to the biannual report of the Observatory of Organized Crime in Ecuador, between January 2019 and June 2022, murders of young people between the ages of 15 and 19 increased by 500% in the country, where in recent years drug trafficking and more widely gang action has become a scourge.

On Monday, four little sisters between the ages of 5 months and 7 years, Jordana, Briana, Adiel and Aytana, were killed by gunmen who opened fire on their home in Wasmo Sur, a poor neighborhood in Guayaquil, the capital of Guayas province and a large the country’s port on the Pacific Ocean.

The children’s mother is hospitalized. According to authorities, the attack is believed to have targeted a neighboring house, where explosives were found.

“This incident, which reflects the alarming increase in violent crime and murders committed by paid executioners, underscores the urgency of the national security situation,” according to the Ombudsman’s Office, which called on the government to take immediate action the “necessary resources” to fight organized crime gangs mainly engaged in drug trafficking.

In Ecuador, a country that has become a center for cocaine trafficking to the US and Europe, the homicide rate has risen to an unprecedented level of 26 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2022; this year, experts warn that the rate may rise to even 40.