This is the moment an angry mob sets fire to two suspected hitmen in the middle of a city street in Ecuador.

The shocking incident took place in the coastal city of Bahia de Caraquez in the Brazilian state of Manabi on the afternoon of 25th December.

A group of local residents reportedly took matters into their own hands and set fire to the two suspected hitmen after they allegedly shot dead a local criminal.

The footage shows one man soaking the motionless victims with fuel before apparently setting them alight.

According to the news site Metro, the two men arrived in the area on a motorbike and shot Alex Mendoza, known as ‘Fat Alex’, who later died in hospital.

Mendoza was taken to the Miguel Hilario Alcivar Hospital who said he sustained 12 gunshot wounds in the attack.

The local authorities later revealed that he had a long criminal record and had just been released from prison.

After allegedly killing Mendoza, the hitmen were reportedly involved in a shootout with Alex’s relatives and neighbours. The pair was subsequently caught, beaten and then set on fire.

The police arrived on the scene and removed the two charred corpses from the street.

The bodies have been taken to a forensics centre in Manta to undergo an autopsy.

The Ecuadorian provinces of Manabi, Los Rios, El Oro, Guayas, and Esmeraldas have the highest murder rate in the country during 2020 and 2021.