General Villamil, Ecuador — At least nine people were shot dead Saturday (Sunday Manila time) while playing pool in a tourist city in southwestern Ecuador, the country’s prosecutor’s office said.
A group of armed men opened fire on several people at a bar in a working-class neighborhood of General Villamil Playas, a coastal city in the southern Guayas province and destination for local tourists.
The Ecuadorian prosecutor’s office said on X that “armed individuals entered the establishment and shot at those present.”
Viral images on social media showed at least nine bloodied bodies lying on the floor around several pool tables.
Local media reports said the attackers were armed with automatic rifles.
At the bar where the massacre occurred, relatives held two coffins Saturday night. Bullet holes were visible on the pool tables, according to images captured by an AFP reporter.
Police Colonel Jhanon Varela told media that two people were injured in the attack and treated at a local hospital.
Authorities have only been able to identify one body at the scene.
“Unfortunately, when the police arrive, many of those affected by this event are removed from the scene by residents and family members,” Varela said.
“It is presumed that there may be more victims.”
Guayas Prefect Marcela Aguinaga said one of the victims was a coach at a provincial football school.
Aguinaga wrote on X: “Violence… seeks to bring us to our knees, silence us, and accustom us to horror. But we will not stay silent. Nor will we surrender.”
