KwaZulu-Natal police have launched a manhunt for a group of five suspects who shot and killed five people at a shopping centre in the Richards Bay CBD.

The victims were gunned down in the parking lot of a shopping centre on Tuesday morning.

It is understood that the suspects opened fire shortly after getting out of the car.

Four of the victims were certified dead at the scene, while the fifth person succumbed to injuries at a clinic. 

Police spokesperson Robert Netshiunda says the motive behind the shooting is not yet known, but drug-related turf war could not be ruled out.

"The suspects reportedly fled from the scene of the crime in a blue VW Polo," he said.

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