Eight people were killed and two others injured early on Sunday when gunmen opened fire on a crowd outside a nightclub in Santa Lucia, a town in southwestern Ecuador’s Guayas Province, according to AFP citing police reports.

The attackers arrived in two pickup trucks at around 1:15 a.m. local time and began shooting at people gathered outside the nightclub. Among the dead was Jorge Urquizo, the nightclub owner and brother of Santa Lucia’s mayor. Seven victims died at the scene, while the eighth victim later died in hospital.

Police recovered approximately 800 cartridge casings from the scene. The gunmen fled in their vehicles and remain at large. Authorities detained a man carrying a revolver but have not confirmed his involvement.

The motive of the attack remains unknown. The victims’ bodies were taken to a morgue in nearby Daule.

The mayor’s office expressed condolences on social media, stating the community “unites in sorrow and prayer”.

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