BAKU, Azerbaijan. August 14. According to police, three more were injured, Trend reports.
At least five people have been killed and three others injured in gang clashes near a mine in southern Ecuador, police said.
"This morning, a clash between members of organized crime groups led to the death of five people at a mine in the canton of Camilo Ponce Enriquez in the province of Azuay. Three people were injured," the police said on their X (formerly Twitter) page. Law enforcement is looking for those involved.
The groups involved in the clash have carried out several attacks in the region in recent days in an effort to take control of mines in the area.
Ecuador has experienced a sharp increase in crime in recent years. On January 9, President Daniel Noboa signed a decree recognizing the existence of an internal armed conflict in the country and ordered the neutralization of 22 criminal groups. In early May, the head of state declared a state of emergency in five provinces of the republic in an effort to combat crime.