At least 11 people – including a three-year-old child – have been killed in a mass shooting at a hostel in South Africa.
Fourteen others were wounded when gunmen stormed the venue in Saulsville township, west of the capital Pretoria, early on Saturday.
At least three unknown gunmen began firing "randomly" at a group of people who were drinking, police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said.
The motive of the shooting is unknown and no arrests have been made. It is the latest in a string of mass shootings that have rocked the crime-ridden country in recent years.
The gunmen reportedly entered the premise at 04:30 local time (02:30 GMT) and opened fire on a group of men who were drinking. A 12-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl were among those killed in the attack.
"I can confirm that a total of 25 people were shot," Mathe said.
Describing the hostel as an "illegal shebeen", she added: "We are having a serious challenge when it comes to these illegal and unlicensed liquor premises," where she said the majority of mass shootings occur.
"Innocent people also get caught up in the crossfire," she told public broadcaster SABC.
In a major crackdown, police shut down 12,000 such premises outlets between April and September this year and arrested more than 18,000 people across the country.
South Africa has one of the highest murder rates in the world, at 45 people per 100,000 according to 2023-24 figures from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
Some 63 people were killed every day between April and September, according to police data.
LATEST POSTS
- 1
Triumph's 400 Range Has Just Changed In India, And Here's Why - 2Russian billionaire says 12-hour days and 6-day workweeks could help save the economy
- 3As juries turn against social media for harming kids, Big Tech's invincibility starts to show cracks
- 4Virtual reality opens doors for older people to build closer connections in real life
- 5U.S. to drop childhood vaccine recommendations as it looks to Denmark, Washington Post reports
- Shelby County deputies charged with assault, placed on leave
- Indian Health Service is digging out of decades-old construction backlog for medical buildings
- Vote In favor of Your Favored IT Administration
- NASA begins fueling rocket to launch astronauts on the first lunar trip in half a century
- Timex Gives Its Classic Affordable Field Watch a Tactical, Milspec Makeover
- Exploring the Main Year of Life as a parent: Individual Encounters
- The most effective method to Redesign the Sound Framework in Your Smash 1500.
- Investigating the Medical advantages of Aloe Vera
- Geminid meteor shower 2025 peaks next week. Here's what you need to know about this year's best meteor shower
