QUITO, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- At least six people were killed in an armed attack late Wednesday during New Year's Eve celebrations in the port city of Manta in the province of Manabi on Ecuador's Pacific coast, local media reported Thursday.

The shooting took place at around 11 p.m. local time outside a home in the Nueva Esperanza neighborhood of the Eloy Alfaro parish, according to media reports.

Armed men stormed the gathering and opened fire indiscriminately at people participating in the celebrations, killing six and wounding at least a dozen others.

Those killed included a minor, a woman and four men aged between 26 and 45.

The attack caused panic at the scene and prompted the rapid mobilization of police units and emergency teams.

A state of emergency has been declared in Manabi province, one of the regions hardest hit by a surge in criminal violence. ■