Police in South Africa announced today, Saturday, that 17 people, including 15 women, were killed in two mass shooting incidents that occurred close to each other in a rural town in South Africa.
National Police spokesman Brig. Athlinda Mathie said in a statement. She added that the victims were 15 women and two men. Another person was in critical condition in hospital.
The shooting occurred on Friday evening in the town of Losikiski in the Eastern Cape province in southeastern South Africa. A video clip published by the police showed that the shooting occurred at two homes in the same neighborhood, which is a group of rural homes on the outskirts of the city.
Police said that 12 women and a man were killed in one house, and three women and a man were killed in the other house.
Four women, a man and a two-month-old baby survived.
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“A manhunt has been launched to nab those behind these heinous killings,” Mathi said.
Local media reported that the people were attending a family gathering at the time of the shooting, but the motive behind the killing remains unknown.
Police Minister Senzo Mchunu told a press conference on Saturday that a team of investigators and forensic experts had been deployed.
“We have full faith and confidence in the team deployed to solve this case and find these criminals. “Either they surrender themselves or we will bring them in,” Mchunu said.
South Africa, with a population of 62 million, recorded 12,734 murders in the first six months of this year, according to official crime statistics issued by the police. That is, an average of more than 70 per day. Firearms are by far the largest cause of death in these cases.
Mass shootings have become increasingly common in recent years, sometimes targeting people in their homes.
Ten members of one family, including seven women and a 13-year-old boy, They were killed in a mass shooting At their home in neighboring KwaZulu-Natal province in April 2023.
Firearms laws are reasonably strict in South Africa, but authorities have often cited the large number of illegal and unregistered weapons in circulation as a major problem.
& Edition 2024 The Canadian Press
