Former Ecuador international footballer Mario Pineida was shot and killed on Wednesday in the port city of Guayaquil, his club confirmed.

Guayaquil has increasingly become a hotspot for gang-related violence linked to drug trafficking, with several football players in Ecuador targeted in recent months.

Pineida, 33, represented Ecuador at the 2018 and 2022 World Cups and had a club career that included a stint with Brazil’s Fluminense in 2022. At the time of his death, he was playing for Barcelona SC.

In a statement posted on X, Barcelona SC said it was “deeply saddened to confirm that it has been officially notified of the death of our player Mario Pineida, following an attack against him in Guayaquil.”

Ecuador’s Interior Ministry also confirmed Pineida’s death and said a special police unit has been assigned to investigate the killing.

According to digital news outlet Primicias, Pineida was attacked by two assailants on motorcycles who opened fire on him, his mother, and another woman. Further details about their condition were not immediately available.

The killing comes amid a surge in violence affecting Ecuador’s football community. In September, three second-division players were murdered, one of whom was allegedly linked to sports betting. The following month, local footballer Bryan Angula was injured in a separate shooting.

Once considered one of Latin America’s safest countries, Ecuador has become a major transit route for cocaine shipments moving from producers in Colombia and Peru to global markets.

Violence has escalated sharply in Guayaquil, with car bombings, shootings and extortion on the rise. The city recorded around 1,900 murders between January and September, the highest total nationwide.