Armed attackers killed at least 17 civilians, including a child, and wounded 14 in two attacks overnight in violence-plagued Ecuador, where drug gangs have been vying for control, authorities said Monday.

Gunmen travelling in two pickup trucks opened fire with pistols and rifles on people outside a liquor store in the western town of El Empalme, killing 15, police said.

Among the dead was a minor who ran for over a kilometer (0.6 miles) before collapsing and dying from his gunshot wounds.

AFP observed several bodies lying on the ground outside the store, where dozens of relatives sat on the sidewalk, weeping, as investigators combed through the ballistic evidence among pools of blood.

The same group of attackers shot two more people dead at a different location.

Witnesses said the men were shouting the slogan "Active Wolves!" according to El Empalme police chief Oscar Valencia -- a possible reference to the Los Lobos (The Wolves) gang.

The group is the main rival of Los Choneros for control of drug trafficking, extortion, kidnapping and illegal mining.

Of the 14 wounded, one was in a serious condition, said police.

The death toll had climbed from an initial 14 earlier Monday.

The attack came as Ecuador -- once one of the safest countries in the region -- experiences an upsurge in violence with more than 4,000 homicides in the first five months of 2025 -- more than one every hour.

The country is wedged between the world's top two cocaine exporters -- Colombia and Peru -- and more than 70 percent of all worldwide production now passes through Ecuador's ports, according to government data.

Highest murder rate

President Daniel Noboa has declared war on organized crime, declaring the country to be in a state of internal armed conflict -- empowering him to deploy the armed forces in Ecuador's streets and violent prisons.

There are an estimated 40,000 gang members in Ecuador, the president has said, and about 20 gangs with links to international cartels.

But despite his tough-on-crime policies, Ecuador has the highest murder rate in Latin America.

A week ago, nine people were shot dead by men with automatic rifles while playing pool in a bar in a working-class neighborhood elsewhere in the southwestern province of Guayas.

In the days preceding that attack, the fishing port of Manta was also shaken by a series of homicides.

Manta is where Los Choneros leader Adolfo Macias, alias "Fito," was recaptured in June after several months on the run following his high-profile escape from prison in January 2024.

His escape prompted a crackdown on gangs, to which Los Choneros responded by unleashing a wave of violence.

The gang detonated car bombs, held prison guards hostage and stormed a television station during a live broadcast in several days of running battles.

Earlier this month, "Fito" was extradited to the United States to stand trial on drug and weapons charges.