At least three people died and eight others were injured in three separate shooting incidents in the crime-plagued French city of Marseille overnight Sunday to Monday, police said.
This has increased fears that tit-for-tat violence between rival drug gangs in the southern port city is spiralling out of control after a spate of fatal shootings over the last month.
The three young men, all in their 20s, died of gunshot wounds. The first incident occurred in the densely populated Castellas housing estate in the northern part of the city.
The second shooting took place a few kilometres away, while the third person died in the La Joliette district, just north of the historic city centre.
The Marseille prosecutor’s office said that last year, 32 people were shot dead in gang violence in what is France’s second-biggest city, a record high.
News agency, AFP, estimates that 13 people, including the latest victims, have died so far this year.
Marseille is a popular tourist destination well-known for its spectacular Mediterranean setting. But working-class neighbourhoods in the city’s northern districts are plagued by poverty, unemployment, and drugs.
In 2021, President Emmanuel Macron unveiled a €1.5 billion plan to help the city tackle crime and deprivation.
During a three-day visit to the city, he described the drug networks “parasites” and said traffickers would be “harassed” by the authorities.