Tragic shooting in western Turkey leaves eight dead

Istanbul: Eight people were shot dead in three villages in western central Turkey on Thursday, local officials said, as a major manhunt was underway to find the gunman.

"Unfortunately, eight of our citizens have lost their lives, and one has been seriously injured in armed attacks in our province," the Afyonkarahisar governor's office said.

The incident occurred in the early evening in a rural area near Afyonkarahisar, a town half way between the capital Ankara and the coastal city of Izmir.

Two women with gunshot wounds were found on a road in Yukaritandir village, but despite being rushed to hospital, both died, Anadolu state news agency said.

Three more bodies were found in Kiyir village, which lies a half-hour drive to the northeast, and another three in Ayazini village, a further half-hour drive further east, it said.

Another person found in a critical condition was fighting for their life in hospital, it said, without saying where they had been injured.

NTV private television said police were chasing a suspect driving a red car who was seen fleeing the scene.