Eight bodies in bags found in Babahoyo, Ecuador, amid wave of violence
Ecuador's police confirmed the discovery of eight bodies packed in bags on the outskirts of Babahoyo. The prosecution is investigating whether they correspond to people reported missing on Sunday.
Eight packed bodies found in strategic narcotics zone
Ecuador's police confirmed on Wednesday the discovery of eight bodies in bags in a coastal zone in the south-west of the country, according to ntn24.com. The bodies were taken to the forensic centre for identification.
"Eight bodies have been verified" as those found on the outskirts of Babahoyo, Colonel Galo Muñoz, the police chief for the area, told the press. Muñoz clarified that the bodies "are packed" and that the area is considered strategic for narcotics trafficking.
The prosecutor for Milagro, Modesto Freire, confirmed that "the faces cannot be seen" of the victims because "they are in sacks". He also emphasised that two of the missing persons are minors and that, according to their relatives, they are farmers from Daule, a rice-growing zone.
On Sunday, eight people travelling from Daule to Milagro disappeared while conducting an errand. The prosecution is investigating whether the bodies found correspond to the same people.
Interior Minister John Reimberg indicated that alongside the bodies a note was found attributing the deed to an "attack" by the criminal group Los Lobos against Los Choneros, two of the country's main violent organisations.
The discovery occurs in the context of an unprecedented security crisis in Ecuador. In the first quarter of the year, nearly 1,600 people were murdered. Last year, the homicide rate reached a record of 51 per 100,000 inhabitants, driven by the war between gangs for control of crime revenues.
This is not the first case of this kind so far this year. In January, authorities in the coastal province of Santa Elena found six young people incinerated who had gone out on a trip on three motorcycles.
Source: Google News EC — Crime