QUITO, Dec 29, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Multiple gunmen killed six people on Sunday, including a two-year-old girl, after shooting up a beachside boardwalk in southwestern Ecuador, police said. Three others were wounded in the attack in popular whale-watching destination Puerto Lopez, after men in a van and on two motorcycles opened fire on the boardwalk before fleeing. It was the third deadly attack in the city this weekend, with a total death toll of nine, local media reports said. Ecuador is located between the world's two top exporters of cocaine, Colombia and Peru, and has seen a surge in violence by gangs linked to Mexican and Colombian cartels. Hardline policies instituted by its President Daniel Noboa have done little to stem the tide of violence to date.
