Ten people were murdered, one of whom was found dismembered, early yesterday Sunday morning in a rural area in the southwest Ecuadoreven though the province where he is located is in a state of emergency, the police announced.

“Nine bodies” were found, bearing “bullet” wounds, and, about “one kilometer” away, in a field, “a completely dismembered body in a bag. In total, ten bodies” in the canton of El Guabo in the province of El Oro, the police commander in the area, Pablo Fajardo, told the press this morning.

All the victims had bullet wounds, a police spokesman told AFP earlier. At the scene of the crime, bullets and casings were found for an automatic rifle and of a smaller caliber, nine millimeters, possibly for a pistol.

“They were attacked while they were resting,” according to police commander Fajardo, who emphasized that some of the victims were foreigners, clarifying that their nationality has not yet been ascertained.

Some of the victims were found inside a residence, others were lying on a nearby street. “They tried to escape this massacre,” according to Mr. Fajardo.

The people who were targeted “had come here a few days ago.” They rented property in this rural area known as La Victoria, according to the same source.

The police are conducting an investigation and at this stage cannot make estimates about the perpetrators of the massacre or the motive.

El Oro province is among the areas where a state of emergency has been declared due to the escalation of gang violence. The list also includes the provinces of Los Rios, Manavi, Santa Elena, Orejana (in the Amazon) as well as cities such as the capital Quito (in the province of Picincha) and Camilo Ponce Enriques (Asuai).

In the context of the fight against organized crime, President Daniel Noboa has not stopped using this measure, which suspends fundamental rights, such as the freedom of assembly and assembly, and the inviolability of the residence of every citizen.

His government assures that from January to October, it was able to significantly reduce homicides in the Latin American country: from 6,037 in the corresponding period of 2023, they fell to 4,959.

Violent deaths in Ecuador have increased at an alarming rate in recent years due to gang activity. The homicide rate went from 6 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2018 to 47 in 2023.