8 people killed in Ecuador shooting

In the city of Santa Lucia, Ecuador, armed criminals opened fire on nightclubgoers, killing eight people, including the mayor's brother, the newspaper El Universo reported.

"There is panic in Santa Lucia over the deaths of eight people, including the mayor's brother. They died in an attack that occurred early Sunday morning," the newspaper's website reported. According to Ecuadorian police, a car approached the building, from which gunmen got out and began shooting at the crowd. Seven bodies were found at the scene, one person died in hospital.

"We are considering several versions of what happened, including that it was related to clashes between criminal groups, but we cannot yet confirm whether the owner of the club was the target of the attack," a state police official told reporters.