Manhunt after 12 killed in Johannesburg settlement mass shooting

South African police have launched a manhunt after a group of attackers opened fire in an informal settlement in Johannesburg, killing 12 people and wounding nine others in one of the country's deadliest recent mass shootings.

The attack took place late on the night of June 9 at the Jumpers informal settlement in Cleveland, a suburb of Johannesburg. Police said the assailants were dropped off by a white van, entered the settlement through two entrances and moved through the area firing on residents at several locations before fleeing in the same vehicle.

Eight men and three women were declared dead at the scene, and another man died later in hospital. Nine more people were taken to hospital with gunshot wounds. Authorities said more than 10 suspects were involved and that no arrests had immediately been made.

Police were investigating a possible link to illegal mining, noting that several of those killed were found in what appeared to be a processing area for informally mined material. No motive had been officially confirmed in the immediate aftermath.

The killings added to mounting concern over violent crime in South Africa, which records some of the highest murder rates in the world. Officials appealed for information from the public as the search for the gunmen continued.