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
'Sex and the City' star Kim Cattrall marries longtime partner Russell Thomas in intimate London wedding - 2Midlife weight gain can start long before menopause – but you can take steps early on to help your body weather the hormonal shift
- 3Mars orbiter sees 'butterfly' crater spread its wings on the Red Planet
- 4'Tangled' live-action movie casts Teagan Croft and Milo Manheim as Rapunzel and Flynn
- 5Bombardier Global 8000 Enters Service
- Jesse Jackson hospitalized, under observation for a neurodegenerative condition
- US measles cases surpass 2,000, highest in 30 years: CDC
- Global measles cases drop 71% in 24 years as vaccination coverage improves, WHO says
- Vote in favor of your Number one kind of juice
- Pick Your Favored kind of soup
- In a first, scientists observe a comet reversing its spin
- Find the Standards of Viable Nurturing: Supporting Blissful and Strong Kids
- Blake Lively's sexual harassment claims against Justin Baldoni dismissed. Where the case stands now.
- Exclusive-Drugmakers raise US prices on 350 medicines despite pressure from Trump
