Ecuador nightclub up in flames as explosion kills two amid widespread unrest

Two people have been killed and nine others injured following an explosion at a nightclub in Ecuador.

Unknown suspects set fire to the club in the Amazon city of Coco on Thursday (11 January), as the South American country struggles under a spike of violence, blamed on drug gangs.

The blaze, which spread to 11 nearby stores, is under investigation, officials said.

There are concerns the violence will escalate in the country, where a presidential candidate was assassinated only last year.