Ecuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio has been shot and killed by an unidentified gunman while at a political rally in Quito.

The killing comes amid an alarming wave of violence in the country, with drug trafficking and violent killings on the rise.

Incumbent president, Guillermo Lasso, suggested an organised crime gang was behind the killing.

Mr Villavicencio was one of eight candidates in the 20 August presidential vote, though not the frontrunner.

"I assure you that this crime will not go unpunished," Mr Lasso said in a statement.

https://news.sky.com/story/ecuadorian-presidential-candidate-fernando-villavicencio-shot-dead-at-political-rally-12937039