FORTALEZA – Gunmen stormed into a party in north-western Brazil on Saturday, killing 14 people after shooting for 30 minutes.
At least six others, some of them children, were injured, according to the country’s National Public Security Force.
Up to 15 gunmen arrived in three heavily armed cars at 1.30am on Saturday and fired their weapons as they entered Forró do Gago nightclub.
People fled the club and sheltered in nearby houses as shots went on for half an hour, the O Globo reported.
Footage of the aftermath showed blood on the ground outside the club in the Cajazeiras area of Fortaleza, a coastal city in the state of Ceará.
Twelve people died at the scene and two others were pronounced dead later in hospital. At least men, four women, and two teenagers were reported to be among the dead.
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Police believe the shootings could be linked to a rivalry between drug gangs but many of those killed are thought to have been innocent party-goers with no connections to organized crime.
The newspaper said the shooting was the deadliest in the city’s history.
