QUITO, May 18 (Xinhua) -- At least four people were killed Sunday night in an armed attack in Ecuador's western Manabi province, police said Monday.

The attack occurred on the Simon Bolivar road in the rural area of San Isidro, Sucre canton, while the victims were traveling in a vehicle.

Police said armed men intercepted the vehicle and opened fire repeatedly, killing the occupants at the scene.

Local media reported that the victims were returning from a sports event when they were ambushed on their way home.

Among the dead was a 27-year-old man with a criminal record for weapons possession and organized crime, who police said was linked to a criminal group. The other victims were three women from the same family, with no criminal records.

Authorities said the attack occurred on the final day of a 15-day nighttime curfew in Manabi, one of Ecuador's provinces hardest hit by violence. ■