Police launch manhunt after 17 killed, 15 wounded in South Africa tavern shooting

At least 27 people were killed and 15 wounded in two separate mass shootings near South Africa’s two biggest cities over the weekend, police said on Sunday.

In the first incident, 17 people were killed on Saturday night when suspects armed with AK-47 rifles and pistols opened fire at a tavern in Wedela township, southwest of Johannesburg. Police said eight unidentified suspects opened fire on patrons drinking outside the tavern before entering the establishment and continuing to shoot at people inside. Emergency medical services declared all 17 victims dead at the scene. The victims included 13 men and four women, while 15 others with gunshot wounds were taken to medical facilities. No arrests had been made as of Sunday, and the motive for the shooting was not immediately known.

In a separate incident, 10 people were killed in a mass shooting at a store in Lwandle, near Cape Town, around 1am on Sunday, police said. The two shootings came just days after a mass shooting at a house party near the east coast city of Durban killed 11 people, including a pregnant woman. Police have launched investigations into the shootings, while a manhunt is underway for the suspects in the Wedela attack.