There has been a shooting in Johannesburg, South Africa. Armed men opened fire indiscriminately on people in Bekkersdal township, west of Johannesburg. 20 people were shot in this attack, out of which 10 have died. Meanwhile, 10 people have been injured.
The attack took place about 40 kilometers south-west of Johannesburg. Police said the motive behind the firing was not immediately clear. Some of the victims were shot on the street by unknown gunmen, police said in a statement, quoted by CBS News.
Firing near gold mines
Gauteng province police spokesperson Brigadier Brenda Muridilli said authorities were still trying to identify the victims. The shooting took place near an informal bar (Tavern) in Bekkersdal, a poor area located near some of South Africa’s major gold mines. Police said that the injured have been taken to the hospital. Police said that the shooting took place at a place where liquor was being sold illegally.
12 people opened fire
Around 12 unidentified suspects, traveling in a white Kombi and a silver sedan, are said to have fired at people present in the tavern and continued firing randomly while fleeing the scene, police said in a statement.
South African public broadcaster SABC reported that unidentified assailants also opened fire on customers inside the tavern and people on the streets outside. According to the SABC, Gauteng’s acting police commissioner Fred Kekana said, “We are still recording statements.” Our national crime and management team has reached the spot.
He further said, the provincial crime scene management team has arrived and a team from the local criminal records center is also present here. Apart from this, our Serious Crime Investigation Team, Crime Intelligence Unit and Provincial Crime Investigation Team are also on the spot.
Crime rate is high in the country
Earlier on December 6, gunmen had stormed a hostel near the capital Pretoria, killing 12 people, including a three-year-old child. South Africa, with a population of 63 million, has a very high crime rate and has one of the highest murder rates in the world.
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