Manhunt as gunmen kill eight at birthday party in S Africa

GQEBERHA, South Africa: Police in South Africa on Monday launched a manhunt after gunmen opened fire on a birthday party in the southern port city of Gqeberha, killing eight.

Three people were wounded in the shooting, which occurred on Sunday evening in a township of the city, previously known as Port Elizabeth. The birthday celebrant and house owner was among those killed, police said.

“There was a birthday celebration at the house, and the next minute people from outside came in and started shooting randomly,” police spokeswoman Priscilla Naidu told AFP. The motive of the attack was unknown, and the victims were yet to be named.

Dozens of onlookers gathered outside the brown low-cost government-funded unit on Monday morning. A barbecue grill, trays and empty packets of charcoal were lined against an outside wall, in a stark reminder of the celebratory mood that had filled the house the day before.