Five police officers and a soldier have been shot dead during a raid on their station in South Africa's Eastern Cape province Umtata.
The South African Government News Agency, in a statement said three officers were executed instantly.
The off-duty soldier was shot as the assailants fled, taking two other officers hostage. Their bodies were found 6km (4 miles) down the road.
The unknown group of armed robbers burst into the police station near Umtata, and opened fire early on Wednesday morning.
Police are still investigating the motive behind the attack. The suspects are also alleged to have robbed a cash machine shortly before the attack. They reportedly took 10 firearms and a police van from the station, reports BBC.
General Khehla John Sitole, National Commissioner of the South African Police Service, has vowed to find the killers, saying he was "appalled and deeply saddened by the cold and callous attack".