At least 12 people were killed and nine others wounded Wednesday in a mass shooting near Johannesburg, South African police said.
The motive for the attack was not immediately clear, and police said they had launched a manhunt for more than 10 suspects.
According to initial details, gunmen opened fire in an informal settlement in Cleveland, east of Johannesburg. Police said the suspects arrived in a white Toyota Quantum, entered the settlement from two separate access points and began shooting before fleeing in the same vehicle.
Cleveland is an industrial suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa’s most populous city. It was established in 1903 and named after Cleveland, Ohio. Today, about 2,300 people live there. In its early years, the suburb was also used to store mining equipment belonging to American companies operating in the area.
Reuters reported that South Africa has one of the world’s highest murder rates, averaging about 60 killings a day. The shooting comes amid widespread crime and recent reports of a door-to-door protest campaign against undocumented foreign migrants, which has prompted thousands of migrants to flee South Africa.