Eight people dead as gunmen open fire at birthday party in South Africa

By Nimi Princewill and Alex Stambaugh, CNN

Eight people were killed and three wounded after two gunmen entered a home and opened fire on a group of people celebrating a birthday at a home in South Africa on Sunday evening, according to the South African police service (SAPS).

The shooting happened in the southern port city of Gqeberha, formerly Port Elizabeth, and an investigation has been launched and a police manhunt is currently underway for the two unknown attackers, police spokesperson Colonel Priscilla Naidu told CNN.

The homeowner is among the deceased, according to a statement by the SAPS.

Among those killed were three women and four men, the police service also said, adding that no arrests have been made.

Police said the Minister of Police, General Bheki Cele, and the National Commissioner of the South African Police Service (SAPS), General Fannie Masemola, will lead a delegation of various experts within the organization to the scene on Monday.

South Africa has grappled with a surge in gun crimes with separate mass shootings witnessed last year.

Last July, at least 15 people were killed when a group of armed men open fire at a bar in Soweto. Hours earlier, four others were killed in a separate shooting in a bar in Pietermaritzburg.

The shootings followed the deaths of 22 young people who had died in unexplained circumstances at a tavern in East London, in the country’s Eastern Cape province.

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