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10 people confirmed dead in latest South Africa mass shooting

South African looters run through tear gas smoke during a riot in the Johannesburg suburb of Turffontein on September 2, 2019 as angry protesters loot alleged foreign-owned shops in a new wave of violence targeting foreign nationals. (Photo by GUILLEM SARTORIO / AFP)

Unknown gunmen stormed a house and killed 10 members of a family on Friday, in the latest mass shooting to rock crime-ridden South Africa.

Police said seven women and three men were fatally wounded in Imbali, a township south of Pietermaritzburg in the southeastern province of KwaZulu-Natal.

“According to initial police reports, unknown gunmen stormed a Pietermaritzburg homestead and ambushed the family,” police spokeswoman Lirandzu Themba said in a statement.

The motive for the killing was not immediately clear.

Police Minister Bheki Cele was due to visit the crime scene.

Mass shootings are relatively common in South Africa, which has one of the world’s highest murder rates.

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