Ecuador police report 10 killed in El Oro province

Ecuadorean police reported on Sunday that officers found 10 dead bodies at a property in Guabo, a community in El Oro province in the Andean country's south.

Violence has exploded throughout Ecuador in recent years, which authorities attribute to gangs of drug traffickers vying for control of territory and smuggling routes.

The spiraling crime and violence this year pushed President Daniel Noboa to declare a state of internal armed conflict and designate almost two dozen gangs as terrorist groups.

"There are nine dead bodies and a kilometer further in there is a corpse that is completely dismembered in a jute bag," Colonel Pablo Fajardo told local journalists.

The nationality of the 10 victims is unknown, Fajardo said, noting that they could be foreigners who were attacked as they were resting.

Bullets recovered from the scene include 9-millimeter rounds and 5.56 caliber rifle ammunition, Fajardo said, adding that other people who were with the victims might have escaped.

Preliminary investigations suggest the victims could have criminal records for illicit trafficking of controlled substances, robbery and attempted murder, Ecuador's police said.