Eight mutilated bodies found in two pits in a mining area in southern Ecuador

Authorities in Ecuador discovered eight mutilated bodies, consisting of seven men and one woman, buried in two clandestine graves within a mining area in the municipality of Pucará, located in the southern Andean province of Azuay. The grim discovery was reported on a Sunday.

The incident highlights ongoing security concerns within Ecuador's mining regions, which have increasingly become focal points for violent crime and illicit activities. Local law enforcement and investigative agencies have initiated inquiries to identify the victims and determine the circumstances surrounding the mutilations and burials.