At least 11 people have been killed in a mass shooting at a house party in the KwaMakhutha township near Durban, South Africa.

The attack took place late on Tuesday. According to police, 13 men and one woman, believed to be pregnant, were gathered inside a house when three armed men arrived and opened fire. The pregnant woman was among those killed.

Ten victims died at the scene. Four others were taken to hospital, where one later died from their injuries. Two people survived the attack, according to the premier of KwaZulu-Natal province, Thamsanqa Ntuli.

Local broadcaster eNCA reported that the attackers forced everyone into a single room before opening fire. The gunmen also set fire to a vehicle belonging to one of the victims before fleeing. Footage from the scene showed the burnt-out car.

"The incident has left the community in profound shock and grief," Ntuli said.

Residents expressed disbelief at the scale of the violence. "It's shocking and sad. These are guys I grew up with. I can't believe it. It's like a movie," one resident told the broadcaster. "I've been staying here all my life, and I've never seen anything like this," he added.

Police said the motive had not yet been confirmed, but stated that a "feud between rival groupings cannot be ruled out." Preliminary investigations indicated that some of those killed were on the radar of South Africa's Crime Intelligence unit over suspected illegal activities, though police said they could not "divulge at the moment to protect investigations which have been launched."

A manhunt for the suspects has been launched.

South Africa has one of the world's highest murder rates, with police data showing an average of more than 60 deaths per day in a population of roughly 62 million.

In recent weeks, the discovery of at least nine murdered women, with some bodies found dumped by the roadside, had already heightened fears across the country.

Rivalry among criminal gangs, driven by turf wars, drug trafficking, and illegal mining, is a persistent source of violence within communities. In March, soldiers were deployed alongside national police to violent hotspots to tackle rampant crime. President Cyril Ramaphosa has previously described organised crime as "the most immediate threat to our democracy, our society and our economic development."