Quito, Sep 13 : Gunmen disguised as soldiers opened fire inside a pool hall in Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas in northwestern Ecuador, killing at least seven and wounding three others, local media reported.

The attackers arrived in a vehicle around 10:30 p.m. local time and shot indiscriminately at the customers in the pool hall located in the Nuevo Amanecer neighborhood, Xinhua news agency reported quoting local news outlet Primicias.

It was the second mass shooting in a pool hall in the Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas province in less than a month. On August 17, seven people were killed in a similar attack, police said.

One of those killed and two of the wounded in Friday's shooting had criminal records for drug trafficking, criminal association, murder and theft, according to a police report.

Images shared by local media show several men dressed in black, wearing vests and caps, arriving at the location and opening fire on people who immediately fell to the ground.

The vehicle allegedly used by the attackers was found burned in another part of the city, Benavides said.

Ecuador recorded 4,619 homicides in the first half of 2025, a 47 per cent jump from the same period last year and the highest six-month toll in its history, according to the Ecuadorian Organized Crime Observatory.

The country has stepped up its fight against drug trafficking gangs since Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa declared a state of "internal armed conflict" in January 2024 due to an escalation of violence.

/IANS