Ecuador discovers eight bagged corpses amid gang violence

Ecuadorian police reported the discovery of eight bodies packed in bags on the outskirts of Babahoyo, a coastal area in the country's southwest considered strategic for drug trafficking. The corpses were found on 3 June 2026 and taken to a forensic centre for identification; officials said the faces were obscured by the packaging.

Authorities are investigating whether the victims are the eight young people who vanished on 31 May while traveling to Milagro to obtain motorcycle documents. A note found with the bodies suggests the killing was an attack by the Los Lobos criminal group against rival Los Choneros gang. Two of the missing have been reported as minors from the agricultural town of Daule. Their families staged protests on 2 June demanding swift action and are awaiting identification results in Guayaquil.

The incident occurs amid an unprecedented wave of violence in Ecuador, which the government declared an internal armed conflict in 2024. The country recorded a homicide record of about 9,300 deaths in 2025.