Family of four killed in home attack in Ecuador
Four members of the same family were killed late Thursday in a violent home attack in Machala, a coastal city in southern Ecuador that has seen rising organized crime, local media reported Friday.
According to police, the assailants posed as officers to enter the residence shortly before midnight. After opening fire, they set the house on fire before fleeing the scene, News.Az reports, citing Xinhua.
The victims were identified as a 13-year-old girl, a 17-year-old boy, a 40-year-old woman, and a 41-year-old man who, authorities said, had a prior criminal record involving robbery and drug offenses.
Investigators believe the attack targeted another woman in the home who survived by hiding in a bathroom. She later told police she had received threats earlier that day from a former partner allegedly linked to a criminal group.
Machala, located in the El Oro province near the Peruvian border, remains under a state of emergency as Ecuador continues to grapple with escalating gang violence. President Daniel Noboa declared the country in a state of “internal armed conflict” in January 2024 as security forces intensified operations against criminal networks.
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