The area, which borders the Brazilian town of Ponta Pora, is a known transit point for narcotics.

“The two male victims belonged to a criminal gang. They were the targets of the shooting. But others were hit, including the two women who died and others who have been hospitalised,” Paraguayan prosecutor Oscar Samuel Valdez told a local radio station.

The gunman closed in on the targets after getting out of a car in front of the disco, Valdez said.

A police report said the women were 18 and 24 years old. No details were given about the men killed in the attack.

At least 11 other people were hospitalised, the report said.

Drug-related violence is common in this part of Paraguay, but rarely spills into public areas, as it did on Monday.

Paraguayan and Brazilian law enforcement are working together to solve the case, a police spokesman told Reuters by phone.