A group of unidentified attackers fatally shot seven members of the same family, including three children, in a rural area of South Africa, according to the police on Thursday.
The shooting took place at a residence in the Highflats area of the eastern KwaZulu-Natal province on Wednesday night, with the victims ranging from a five-year-old boy to a woman approximately 55 years of age.
The motive behind the assault, which occurred about 80 kilometres northwest of Durban, remains unknown. Provincial police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi told reporters that the police believe the attack was a premeditated, deliberate killing.
According to Mkhwanazi, some of the victims seemed to have been shot while on the ground, with a total of approximately 25 bullets used in the incident.
The assailants entered the house as the family was watching television. They coerced a family member who was outside the house to knock on the door and then opened fire upon its opening.
South Africa has one of the highest per capita murder rates in the world during peacetime. According to police data released in August, nearly 6,200 people were killed in the country between April and June.