Eight people were shot and injured by unidentified men in Hongxingqin Village of Guangzhou's Baiyun District at around 9 p.m. Tuesday, less than one minute after police left a water barrel shop that had been attacked in the village.

Two people suffered serious internal injuries and were sent to the ICU ward at Guangzhou Army Hospital, police said yesterday. The rest were sent to Guangzhou Dongfang Hospital for treatment of leg injuries.

The injured people were among a crowd watching an attack on a water barrel shop.

According to a witness who asked for anonymity, four knife-wielding men drove a car to the shop and started breaking things on the premises. They also attacked a villager who was leaving the shop.

The shop assistant fled to avoid the attack and the four men drove away.

Police arrived at the shop after receiving the report.

A second van arrived less than one minute after the police left, shooting from the van window into a crowd of 10 people standing in front of the shop, hitting several villagers, according to another witness who identified himself as Liang.

"It's so inhumane. How could they shoot innocent people?" said a nearby barbecue stand owner.

"It was so fast that I couldn't figure out what was happening," said one of the injured, surnamed Zhang.

Zhang was shopping for fruit at a store next to the water shop and was shot in the legs while running away.

Nearby villagers attributed the incident to a possible revenge attack by local gangs.

Local police have formed a special team to investigate the case.