Massacre at a birthday party that leaves eight revelers dead and three fighting for their lives in a mass shooting in South Africa

AT LEAST eight people were shot dead when gunmen opened fire at a crowded birthday party.

After the “cold-blooded” attack on the party in South Africa, cops launched a manhunt for the two attackers.

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Eight people were killed and three injured in the attack on Sunday around 5:15 p.m. local time.

Police said the gunmen fled after the attack and no arrests were made following the killings in Gqeberha, formerly Port Elizabeth.

The homeowner and the person whose birthday was being celebrated are reportedly among the dead.

Investigators are working to unravel the motive behind the massacre.

Crime scene footage shows a police line and forensic trucks parked outside.

Cops said the gunmen entered the garden and started “accidentally [shooting] with guests”.

Eastern Cape Provincial Police Chief Nomthetheleli Mene condemned the killings as “blatant disregard for human life”.

He said: “These victims were killed by criminals and we will not rest until we find out what happened and who was responsible for (that) callous and cold-blooded attack on these unsuspecting victims.”

The latest incident follows a spate of mass shootings last year that shocked the nation. In July, gunmen killed 19 people in random gunfire within hours.

South Africa has one of the highest homicide rates in the world, killing around 20,000 people out of a population of 60 million each year.

About 3 million guns are registered in the country, according to campaign group Gun Free South Africa, although there are many more unregistered.

Police Minister Bheki Cele and SAPS Commissioner Fannie Masemola are expected to visit the scene of the latest crime on Monday.