Australia rocked by mass shooting at Sydney's Bondi Beach as police declare "terrorist incident"
Sydney, Australia - Two shooters opened fire at Australia's iconic Bondi Beach in Sydney Sunday, killing multiple people and wounding many others in an attack authorities believe was targeted at the Jewish community.
At least 12 people – including one of the suspected gunmen – were killed, while 29 others were hospitalized with serious injuries.
The premier of the state of New South Wales state said the shooting directly targeted Sydney's Jewish community, with an annual "Chanukah by the Sea" gathering planned at the beach Sunday afternoon.
Police declared the attack a "terrorist incident" and revealed an "improvised explosive device" had been found in a car linked to one of the suspects.
Crowds fled in fear from the beach in eastern Sydney, which draws huge numbers of surfers, swimmers and tourists, especially at weekends.
"We heard the shots. It was shocking, it felt like 10 minutes of just bang, bang, bang. It seemed like a powerful weapon," Camilo Diaz, a 25-year-old student from Chile, told AFP at the scene.
One witness who declined to be named said he personally witnessed six dead or injured bodies lying on the beach.
The grassy hill overlooking Bondi Beach was strewn with discarded items from people fleeing too fast to pack up, including an abandoned children's stroller, an AFP journalist at the scene said.
Australian PM hails "heroes" who rushed to stop shooters
Videos posted to social media appeared to show one of the attackers being disarmed by a man, something that Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese seemed to reference in a statement.
"We have seen Australians today run towards dangers in order to help others. These Australians are heroes and their bravery has saved lives," he said.
Paramedics tended to multiple people lying on the grass by the beach, images broadcast by public broadcaster ABC showed.
A weapon that appeared to be a pump action shotgun was lying by a tree by the beach.
A British tourist told AFP he saw "two shooters in black" after the gunfire broke out.
"There was a shooting, two shooters in black with semi-automatic rifles," Timothy Brant-Coles told AFP, saying he saw multiple people who had been shot and wounded.
Another witness, 30-year-old local resident Harry Wilson, told the Sydney Morning Herald he saw "at least 10 people on the ground and blood everywhere."
Cover photo: REUTERS