Manta Port Carnage: Armed Attack at Coastal Fishery Port Leaves Three Workers Dead

Manta, Ecuador—Three fishery workers lost their lives Friday morning during a brazen armed attack inside a coastal port facility. Two unidentified gunmen walked past dock security gates, approached a fish-processing warehouse, and opened fire with automatic pistols. Workers scattered across the concrete docks as rapid gunfire echoed across the moored fishing vessels.

National police and naval tactical units arrived within minutes, locking down all port entrances and halting maritime traffic. Paramedics confirmed three fatalities on the processing floor from multiple close-range gunshot wounds. Investigators stated that the port facility had recently received extortion threats from transnational drug trafficking syndicates operating along the coast.

Fishery association leaders expressed extreme alarm over rising racketeering and contract violence targeting commercial export ports. Business owners have repeatedly petitioned the central government for permanent naval security detachments inside industrial dock areas. Forensic technicians cordoned off the processing warehouse to collect dozens of spent cartridge casings.

The provincial prosecutor's office opened an immediate multi-agency homicide investigation into the port shooting. Detectives are reviewing security camera footage from neighboring docks to trace the escape route of the gunmen. No suspects have been apprehended following initial sweeps of the coastal district.

Commercial port operations across the affected sector remain completely suspended pending comprehensive safety reviews. Families of the victims gathered outside the security perimeter demanding justice and improved workplace protection. Municipal authorities promised emergency security meetings with port administrators.

Investigators continue compiling witness testimonies from dockworkers who observed the attack. The bodies of the deceased were transferred to the municipal morgue for official autopsies. Armed military patrols maintain a constant presence outside the facility gates.