In a tragic incident in the remote town of Lusikisiki, South Africa, a mass shooting has claimed the lives of eighteen individuals, prompting a manhunt for the assailants, according to local police.Authorities reported that two homes on the same street were targeted during the attack. At one location, 12 women and one man were killed, while a second site saw the deaths of three women and another man.

The South African Police Service confirmed that the 18th victim succumbed to injuries in the hospital on Sunday.Police Minister Senzo Mchunu stated that the motive behind the shootings remains unclear. In a press release on Sunday, police indicated that, aside from the confirmation of the 18th victim's death, there have been no significant updates, and no suspects have been arrested yet.

Officials noted that the victims were all relatives and neighbours from Nyathi village, Ngobozana, in Lusikisiki. Reports from South African media revealed that the victims were gathered at the homes to prepare for a traditional mourning ceremony honouring a mother and daughter who had been murdered a year earlier.

were in the process of organising goods and presents, including furniture, for the

ceremony when the shooting occurred on Friday night."We heard gunshots and doors that were kicked," Nomnikelo Ndlovu, one of the residents who was able to hide during the attack, told state broadcaster SABC."We tried to hide, and three people were shot. We are still traumatised.

"In a statement on Saturday, the police minister said that there had been a total of 19 people sleeping in two homes in the same yard at one of the shooting locations.Mchunu added that there had been six survivors at that homestead - four women, a man, and a two-month-old child. A police spokesperson said earlier that the child was uninjured but had been taken to the hospital as a precaution.There were no survivors at the other homestead.

Mchunu said a team of detectives and forensic experts, including crime scene managers from Pretoria, had been deployed "to piece all [the] evidence together in a bid to apprehend these brutal criminals."Regional cabinet member for community safety Xolile Nqatha told SABC that he hoped the critically injured man would make a "speedy" recovery, as "his recovery can help us shed more light" on the shooting.

He also indicated that the attackers might have had some familiarity with the victims.According to recent statistics from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, South Africa has one of the highest murder rates globally. In 2022, the country recorded over 27,000 homicides, translating to 45 murders per 100,000 people within a population nearing 60 million. In contrast, the murder rate in the United States stands at six per 100,000.