At least 14 people have been killed in a mass shooting in a bar in Johannesburg’s Soweto township.
Police say they are investigating reports that a group of men arrived in a taxi and opened fire on those inside the bar.
Three people were critically injured and are being treated in Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital alongside another victim with less serious injuries.
The number of cartridges found on the scene indicates a group of people had been firing weapons, Gauteng province police commissioner Elias Mawela said.
He added: “The primary investigation suggests that these people were enjoying themselves here, in a licensed tavern operating within the right hours.
“All of a sudden they heard some gunshots, that is when people tried to run out of the tavern. We don’t have the full details at the moment of what is the motive, and why they were targeting these people.
“You can see that a high calibre firearm was used and it was shooting randomly. You can see that every one of those people were struggling to get out of the tavern.”
The shooting in the Soweto bar comes two weeks after 21 teenagers were found dead in a tavern in the city of East London.
The cause of those deaths has not yet been announced by authorities, but the teens were not shot nor crushed in a stampede, according to officials.
Additional reporting by Associated Press
