At least 15 individuals were shot to death in a pub in the South African township of Soweto, according to authorities, Monday.
Police say that in the early hours of Sunday, gunmen entered an Orlando East bar and began firing randomly at a group of young people.
They subsequently departed the pub in a white minibus. According to authorities, no reason for the incident has been immeidately determined.
Reporters said several additional hospitalized patients are in severe condition. It is suspected that the victims are between 19 and 35 years old.
President Cyril Ramaphosa conveyed his sympathies to the families of the shooting victims.
"Blood was all over the bodies that were piled on top of one other. We were searching for loved ones, and we had to hop over bodies to find our brothers," said local resident Ntombikayise Meji.
Lieutenant-General Elias Mawela, the director of police for the province of Gauteng, told reporters that the shooting looks to have been "a cold-blooded attack on innocent bar patrons."
Based on a news release issued by his office, the gunmen entered the pub equipped with rifles and 9mm pistols.
It was stated that police are seeking for suspects whose identities remain unknown.
Soweto community leader Thaban Moloi was frustrated by the length of time it took police to get to the scene.
"It is dreadful, I assure you. People are at a loss for action. If you were there, you would hear the cries of women and children," he said.
Mr. Moloi reported that the attack occurred on Saturday at 23:00 local time (21:00 GMT), but police did not come until 04:00 on Sunday.
"They arrived after five hours of waiting," he claimed.
Sunday, authorities reported that four more individuals were killed in a separate bar shooting in the south-eastern region of KwaZulu-Natal.
"As a nation, we cannot permit violent criminals to terrorize us in this manner, no matter where such tragedies occur," the President said.
In South Africa, shootings occur frequently. They usually have ties to gangs or alcohol.
But this is an extraordinarily high death toll, and it follows the recent deaths of 21 youths believed to have been gassed or poisoned at another East London bar.
Under a typically cloudless winter sky in Soweto, the masses gathered outside Mdlalose's Tavern, some to mourn and others to observe.
They were restrained by yellow police tape while forensics personnel retrieved grisly evidence from inside the establishment.
