JOHANNESBURG, Dec 21 — Nine people were killed and at least 10 others wounded when gunmen opened fire at a licensed tavern in a township southwest of Johannesburg early Sunday, South African police said.
The shooting occurred shortly before 1 a.m. local time in Bekkersdal, an area within the Rand West City municipality, according to the South African Police Service.
Police said about 12 unidentified suspects arrived at the tavern in a white minibus and a silver sedan before opening fire on patrons inside the establishment.
“The suspects fired shots at the people inside the tavern and continued shooting randomly as they fled the scene,” police said in a statement.
Emergency responders transported the injured to nearby medical facilities, police said. Their conditions were not immediately known.
Authorities have launched a manhunt for the suspects, and an investigation is underway to determine the motive for the attack.
Bekkersdal is a township known for high unemployment and poverty following the decline of gold mining in the region, according to the Rand West City municipality.
