Four killed in South African township shooting

A policeman walks at the scene where four people were killed and five injured following a shooting at KwaMashu township, in Durban, South Africa, February 1, 2023. REUTERS/Stringer

Three people were shot dead and another one died in a hospital after gunshots were fired in KwaMashu township, north of South Africa's Durban, police said on Wednesday.

Five more people with gunshot wounds were rushed to a clinic, said Robert Netshiunda, a police spokesperson in the coastal province of KwaZulu-Natal.

"It is reported that at least 20 armed suspects stormed into the hostel and opened fire to the victims," he said in a statement.

Police officers walk at the scene where four people were killed and five injured following a shooting at KwaMashu township, in Durban, South Africa, February 1, 2023. REUTERS/Stringer

Police said they were investigating the murder cases.

South Africa has one of the world's highest murder rates, with around 20,000 people killed every year out of a population of 60 million.

On Sunday, gunmen killed eight people and wounded three others in a different mass shooting, police said.

Forensic officials place a body into a vehicle at the scene where four people were killed and five injured following a shooting at KwaMashu township, in Durban, South Africa, February 1, 2023. REUTERS/Stringer

(Reporting by Anait Miridzhanian; Editing by Josie Kao)