Johannesburg: At least 12 people were killed in a mass shooting in Johannesburg, South Africa, late on Tuesday evening, the police said.
Nine others were injured in the attack on an informal settlement in Cleveland, and a manhunt for suspects is under way, the police have been reported as saying by the BBC.
“It is alleged that more than 10 suspects were dropped off by a white Toyota Quantum near a petrol station in Cleveland,” the police said in a statement.
“The suspects allegedly entered the informal settlement through both entrances and moved through the area, opening fire on residents and community members at multiple locations before fleeing the scene in the same vehicle,” the statement added.
Such incidents of violence are highly common in the country and are sometimes linked to gang violence and personal disputes.
Nine people were killed in a mass shooting at a tavern in Johannesburg last year. The dead included women and children.
After Tuesday’s incident, the local police department said its officers responded to a “complaint of shooting in progress” at about 23:10 local time on Tuesday (21:10 GMT). Emergency medical services were also deployed to treat the injured.
Eight men and three women died at the scene, the police said, while another man died from his injuries in hospital.
The nine injured were taken to various medical facilities for treatment of gunshot wounds.
“The motive for the attack is currently unknown and forms part of the ongoing investigation”, the police statement said.
Statistics cited by Gideon Joubert from the South African Gunowners’ Association say
there are about three million legally held firearms in South Africa and at least the same number of unlicensed weapons.
South Africa has one of the highest murder rates in the world, with around 60 people killed per day on average.
