Twenty-seven people were killed and 26 others wounded in two separate mass shootings in South Africa over a period of hours, police said.
The first attack occurred late on Saturday near Johannesburg, where eight gunmen stormed a bar and shot customers outside and inside, killing 17 and injuring 15, police said. Thirteen of the dead were men and four were women, authorities added. The attackers also set fire to two vehicles before fleeing the scene, according to reports.
The second shooting took place in the early hours of Sunday at an entertainment venue in a township outside Cape Town. Five victims died at the scene and a further five died in hospital, bringing the death toll there to 10. A total of 11 people were wounded, both outlets reported.
No arrests had been made in either case on Sunday morning, the reports said, and police had not indicated a motive.
Deputy provincial police commissioner Maj Gen Fred Kekana said the Johannesburg attack could have been retaliation for an incident last month in which one person was killed and another wounded. He also said police had clear pictures and in some cases names for the suspects, the BBC reported.
South Africa has struggled with persistent gun violence and one of the highest murder rates in the world, the reports said. Punch noted the country records roughly 60 murders a day and has a population of about 62 million.
The two mass shootings came days after another attack in the city of Durban in which 11 people were killed, the BBC reported.
Both the BBC and Punch cited police and local officials in their accounts of the Johannesburg and Cape Town incidents. The BBC report is here: BBC. Punch’s report is here: Punch.
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