At least nine people were killed and 10 others injured in a shooting at a bar near Johannesburg, police said on Sunday morning.
According to law enforcement officials, nearly a dozen assailants arrived at the venue at around 1 a.m. They came in a white van and a silver sedan, then opened indiscriminate fire on patrons inside. The wounded were taken to hospitals.
The incident took place at the KwaNoxolo tavern in Bekkersdal—a township roughly 30 miles west of Johannesburg. Authorities said the establishment was operating legally and held the required license. Journalists were unable to reach the tavern for comment.
Athlenda Mathe, a spokeswoman for the South African police, said the suspects had not yet been identified. A manhunt is under way. The motives for the attack remain unclear.
The attack adds to a growing list of mass shootings in South Africa—a country that, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, ranks among those with the highest murder rates in the world.
Earlier this month, a similar incident occurred when three armed men opened indiscriminate fire on guests at an unlicensed tavern near Pretoria, the country’s capital. Twelve people were killed and 13 others injured.