(MENAFN) A car bomb detonated Tuesday evening in the financial district of Guayaquil, Ecuador’s largest city, killing at least one person and injuring two others, local authorities confirmed.

The explosion occurred around 6:30 p.m. near the main offices of a company owned by President Daniel Noboa’s family and a major shopping center. Images shared by bystanders showed a pickup truck engulfed in flames just before the blast, which caused panic and shattered windows in nearby buildings.

Interior Minister John Reimberg condemned the attack as a “terrorist act,” noting that a second nearby vehicle containing explosives was safely neutralized by police. The anti-explosive unit carried out “controlled detonations” while authorities worked to identify the materials.

Reimberg said on X 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 residents to stay clear of the police perimeter.

Guayas Governor Humberto Plaza, who visited the site, warned that the death toll could rise and promised a thorough pursuit of the perpetrators. “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.

Following the attack, the US Consulate in Guayaquil issued a security alert for American citizens, advising them to remain vigilant, avoid the area, and stay aware of their surroundings.

This is the second car bombing in Guayaquil in less than a month, coming after a similar explosion near a regional police station in September. Authorities are investigating whether the attacks are linked to recent government operations against organized criminal groups in the city, which has become a hotspot for drug trafficking-related violence.

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