Gunmen kill 11 at Bondi Beach in Australia
The incident took place on Sydney's Bondi Beach on Sunday evening local time, New South Wales Police said. They are treating it as a terrorist attack.
Twenty-nine people were taken to hospital after being shot by the gunmen. Two of them are police officers, ABC News reported.
The BBC reported that more than 1,000 people had gathered at Bondi Beach today to mark the start of the annual Jewish festival of Hanukkah.
The identities of the attackers have not yet been released. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a televised address that an attack on one Australian Jew is an attack on every Australian.
"I could hear the gunshots. It was terrible. It sounded like a heavy weapon," a Chilean citizen told AFP. Police said they responded to the scene at around 6:45 p.m. after receiving reports of gunfire. In a message first posted on social media, police urged the public to avoid the area. Those who were there were asked to seek shelter. Images from the scene showed a large police presence and emergency services. Some people were seen being carried away on stretchers.
