- The family was attacked by a group of men at a house in the city of Pietermaritzburg
- Ten members of the same family, including seven women, were killed in a shootout
Ten members of the same family, seven of them women, were killed in a mass shooting at a house in South Africa today, police said.
The family were ambushed by a group of gunmen and shot dead at their home in the town of Pietermaritzburg in eastern KwaZulu-Natal province, police said.
Two suspects have now been arrested in connection with the shooting, which occurred in the early hours of the morning.
Firearms believed to have been used by the suspects have been seized by police, who are yet to provide a motive for the shooting.
“It’s a crime scene, awful. Too many people have been lost here,” said Police Minister Bheki Cele in comments broadcast by public broadcaster SABC from Pietermaritzburg in KwaZulu-Natal province.
Ten members of the same family, seven of them women, have been killed in a mass shooting at a house in South Africa, police said. Pictured: The scene of the shooting Neighbors look at police officers and paramedics working at the scene of the shooting in Pietermaritzburg. A body of one of the victims is seen on a bench next to the family home. Police said two suspects (pictured) were arrested in the shooting, which took place in the early hours of the morning
Officers were called to the scene this morning after reports of gunfire and discovered the ten family members had been shot.
“When they took charge of the scene, they found that ten members of a family in one of the houses had been shot and mortally wounded,” said police spokesman Brigadier Jay Naicker.
At the scene, rescue workers were seen loading the victims’ bodies into a hearse.
Shootings are common in South Africa, which has one of the highest homicide rates in the world, killing around 20,000 a year in a population of 60 million.
In January, gunmen opened fire on a group of people celebrating a birthday in the southern port city of Gqeberha, killing eight and wounding three others.
The birthday celebrant was among those gunned down in the mass shooting.
He was celebrating his birthday with friends when two gunmen entered his yard and started shooting at the guests.
Firearms believed to have been used by the suspects have been seized by officers who are yet to provide a motive for the shooting. Pictured: The scene
Last July, 16 people died in a mass shooting at a bar in Johannesburg’s Soweto township when a group of armed men opened fire on customers with automatic rifles and powerful handguns.
According to an eyewitness, the killers “repeatedly” shot people who were lying dead on the ground during the brutal attack.
Many bar patrons hid under tables and had to climb over corpses to escape.
A witness, who asked not to be named, told News 24 at the time: “I was sitting on the corner with other people drinking. We had fun until about 10pm when our fun was abruptly stopped. I saw a man with an AK-47 (assault rifle) opening the sliding glass door.
“He said nothing and opened fire. My friend and others at the pool table took cover. He fired bullets at her.
“I saw her fall to the ground. It was mayhem. I hid under a table. Four dead people lay next to me. Your blood shed me. After the man with the assault rifle was done. Two others with 9mm pistols followed and repeatedly fired at people on the ground.”
“People died before my eyes. Some screamed in pain. Alcohol was scattered. After killing people, including my friend, the gunmen slowly walked away.’
The shocking mass murder at the tavern in Soweto, Johannesburg, was followed a few hours earlier by another pub shooting in Pietermaritzburg that killed four people.
About 3 million guns are registered in the country, according to campaign group Gun Free South Africa, although there are many more unregistered.