BEIJING : Three people were shot dead and six others wounded in a rare episode of gun violence in China, police said Wednesday, adding they were hunting for a number of suspects.

Officers were deployed after receiving reports that people were hit by apparent gun fire during a fight on Tuesday night in Chaozhou city, in southern Guangdong province. “According to a preliminary investigation, two people died at the scene, one died after being sent to hospital and six more were wounded,” the police said on its Weibo social media account. “Police have identified the suspects and are in pursuit,” the statement said.

“Police have recognized the suspects and are in pursuit,” the assertion mentioned.

Gun violence is uncommon in China, the place the federal government tightly restricts possession of firearms. There are not any official statistics on gun-related deaths.