EIGHT killed in shooting in South African workers' dormitory

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (AP) _ Assailants shot and killed eight people in a late-night attack on a workers' dormitory in a Johannesburg suburb, police said Tuesday. <br><br>Three or four men with

Tuesday, July 10th 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (AP) _ Assailants shot and killed eight people in a late-night attack on a workers' dormitory in a Johannesburg suburb, police said Tuesday.

Three or four men with hand guns entered a room on the third floor of the building Monday night and opened fire, police spokesman Chris Wilken said. Six men and two women were killed in the attack.

Five people died instantly and a sixth died after jumping out of a window trying to escape. Five other people were injured and two of them later died in a hospital.

The motive for the attack was not known, but police were investigating the possibility it was related to a fight between rival groups of workers, Wilken said.

Many of the dormitory's residents are migrant workers from the eastern KwaZulu-Natal province.

The head of the dormitory, Mtizima Buthelezi, told the South African Press Association Tuesday that the killers had randomly selected their victims, which made the possible reason for the attack even more puzzling.

He said he was getting ready for bed at about 10 p.m. when he heard shots and the sound of people screaming. When he went to investigate, the attackers were nowhere to be seen.