CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Two separate mass shootings in South African townships within hours of each other have left at least 27 people dead, police said on Sunday.
South Africa has struggled with violent crime for years, but recent shooting incidents have shocked a country used to some of the highest homicide rates in the world.
In the first attack, eight gunmen armed with AK-47 rifles and pistols opened fire at a bar near Johannesburg late on Saturday.
The South African Police Service said 17 people were killed at the small venue in Wedela township, southwest of South Africa’s biggest city.
The attackers fired at patrons outside the bar before moving inside and continuing to shoot.
The victims included 13 men and four women, with at least 15 other people injured, police said.
The gunmen searched some of the patrons and took their mobile phones before escaping in two vehicles. Two cars were set alight outside the bar during the shooting.
Around four hours later, 10 people were killed and 11 wounded in a shooting at a store linked to what police described as an entertainment venue in Lwandle township, near Cape Town, South Africa’s second biggest city.
Police said they were searching for multiple suspects, though they didn’t give an exact number.
No arrests have been made in either case. Police deployed specialized units to both townships and surrounding areas in the hunt for the gunmen.
The attacks came five days after another mass shooting in a township near Durban killed at least 11 people, including a pregnant woman, when multiple gunmen attacked a house party in KwaMakhutha township. Police have not reported any arrests.
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