JOHANNESBURG: Multiple attackers killed 12 people and wounded at least nine others in a late-night mass shooting in the South African city of Johannesburg, police said Wednesday.
Police believe more than 10 suspects were dropped off in a minibus in an informal settlement in the Cleveland suburb of Johannesburg late Tuesday night and opened fire on people.
The attackers “moved through the area, opening fire on residents and community members at multiple locations before fleeing the scene in the same vehicle," police said in a statement.
The victims were nine males and three females, according to police. Eleven of them died at the scene and the 12th died in the hospital.
Police are searching for the attackers and no arrests had been made. The motive for the shootings was not yet clear, they said.
Informal settlements in South Africa are unplanned residential areas usually made up of shacks or similar structures.
There have been several high-profile mass shootings in South Africa recently, including two in December that killed more than 20 people in total. One of those also involved multiple shooters.
The shootings are sometimes linked to illegal mining gangs that operate in and around Johannesburg. Cleveland is a suburb connected to illegal mining activity.