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JOHANNESBURG. — At least five people were injured, two of them critically, in a shoot-out at a Johannesburg mall in South Africa yesterday, rescuers said.

A group of armed robbers shot at people randomly as they moved around the shopping mall, emergency service Netcare 911 said.

The robbers stormed the Standard Bank at the Bedforeview Mall, east of Johannesburg and were confronted by security guards, police said. They exchanged fire with police who rushed to the scene.

The robbers escaped from the bank to the nearby Pick n Pay shop, firing their way through.

Ambulances and emergency vehicles were seen near the entrance of the mall. The robbers were locked inside the mall and automatic gun fire could be heard.

One witness described the scene as “bloody and horrible.”

Police refused to give further details. — Xinhua.