QUITO, July 28 (Xinhua) -- At least 17 people were killed and 11 others injured in a shooting in southwestern Ecuador, local media reported Monday.

The incident happened in the city of El Empalme, Guayas Province, on Sunday evening. About eight armed attackers arrived at a bar and then fired indiscriminately, according to the media reports.

The police said that a large-scale search of the surrounding area has been launched to hunt down the suspects, attributing the event to a confrontation between criminal gangs linked to drug trafficking.

Ecuador has been battling a severe security crisis since President Daniel Noboa declared an "internal armed conflict" in January 2024 against organized crime groups tied to drug trafficking. ■