BOGOTA, Colombia

A car bomb exploded late Tuesday in the financial district of Guayaquil, Ecuador’s largest city,

The blast occurred around 6.30 pm local time near the main offices of a company belonging to the family of President Daniel Noboa and a major shopping center, killing at least one person and injuring two others, the local fire department confirmed.

Bystander images circulated immediately showing a pickup truck engulfed in flames moments before the blast, which caused widespread panic and shattered windows in several nearby buildings.

Interior Minister John Reimberg quickly labeled the incident a “terrorist act.” He confirmed that a second vehicle nearby contained "a lot of explosives that did not detonate" and was neutralized by police.

Reimberg noted that the police's anti-explosive unit conducted "controlled detonations" and was working to identify the explosives.

He said on the US social media company X’s platform that the device was not "a handcrafted artifact. It is elements of professional elaboration by criminal groups that want to cause chaos in the country" and urged citizens to stay outside the police perimeter, adding that the National Police are "working permanently to counter the threat and deal with those responsible for this terrorist act."

After visiting the site, Guayas Governor Humberto Plaza warned that the death toll could rise and vowed retaliation.

"What I can tell you is that those who perpetrated this murderous act, this act of terrorism, we are going to pursue them under every rock. We are going to hunt them down. We will find the den where they are hiding, we will capture them, and the full weight of the law will fall upon them," he told local media.

In response to the violence, the United States Consulate General in Guayaquil issued a security alert for its citizens, advising them to "stay alert, avoid the area, and remain aware of your surroundings."

This incident marks the second such attack in Guayaquil in less than a month following a similar detonation near a regional police station in September.

Authorities are investigating whether the attack is linked to recent government operations targeting organized criminal groups in the main port city, which has become an epicenter of drug trafficking violence.