BOGOTA, Colombia / ISTANBUL

At least 22 people were killed and three others injured as criminal gangs clashed in Ecuador.

According to local media, the clash broke out on Thursday in a slum neighborhood in Ecuador's port city of Guayaquil.

According to eyewitnesses, an armed gang of 20 people entered the neighborhood and raided several houses.

Taking extensive security measures in the region, the police blamed the organized criminal gang Los Tiguerones for the attacks.

The prosecutor's office has launched an investigation into the incident.

In recent years, Ecuador's port cities have seen escalating violence due to the presence of criminal organizations involved in drug trafficking.