Eight mutilated bodies—seven men and one woman—were found in two graves at a rustic mining camp in Pucará, Azuay province, southern Ecuador, in a case potentially linked to illegal mining, Police Chief Pablo Inga reported Sunday.

The camp is situated near the Huasipamba sector, a six-hour journey from the Andean city of Cuenca. Authorities also found two incinerated vehicles at the scene, and investigators are actively looking into the circumstances surrounding the deaths.

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According to preliminary data from the Criminalistics unit, the individuals are believed to have died roughly 48 hours prior to the discovery.

Initial testimonies from relatives indicate the victims had been reported missing since the previous Thursday.

La policía encontró ocho personas fallecidas y dos vehículos incinerados en la mina el Mirador del cantón Pucará. pic.twitter.com/jL3yJLWWwz

— RED Informativa (@_REDInformativa) August 9, 2026

Ecuador has been operating under a state of “internal armed conflict” since 2024, a measure declared by President Daniel Noboa, who has reclassified these groups as “terrorists,” primarily associating them with narcotrafficking and illegal mining operations.

Despite the ongoing state of emergency, the Ministry of the Interior recorded approximately 9,300 homicides in 2025, marking an all-time high for the country.

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