At least five people were killed and 17 others injured in an explosion that rocked Ecuador"s southwestern port city of Guayaquil.

Ecuador’s National Risk and Emergency Management Service said that the explosion destroyed 8 houses and 2 vehicles. An investigation into the explosion has been launched and organized crime linked to drug trafficking was suspected to be behind the incident.

Ecuadoran President Guillermo Lasso declared a state of emergency for 30 days in Guayaquil following the explosion.

“The entire public force will be available for restoring control of the city. We will not allow organized crime to try to run the country”, - Lasso twitted.

The motive for the attack has not yet been specified by police. According to preliminary reports, two people on a motorcycle threw a sack which is believed to contain explosives.