A bride was shot dead and her groom seriously injured during a wedding celebration in Goult, near Avignon, France. A suspected gunman was also killed, and a 13-year-old child was seriously wounded. The attack, possibly linked to drug-related violence, prompted a police manhunt. Authorities are investigating the incident as murder and attempted murder.

A bride was shot dead on her wedding night in a village near the south-east French city of Avignon after masked gunmen opened fire, according to local officials. One suspected attacker was also killed during what appeared to be an exchange of fire, while the groom and a 13-year-old child sustained serious injuries in the incident, which took place in the village of Goult.

A manhunt is currently underway for an unknown number of suspects who managed to flee the scene. The operation involves dozens of police officers and a helicopter. French media outlets have suggested that the attack may be linked to drug-related score-settling.

Authorities have launched an investigation into charges of murder and attempted murder.

According to reports from the AFP news agency, the shooting occurred at approximately 04:30 local time (02:30 GMT) on Sunday, as the 27-year-old bride and her 25-year-old groom were leaving their wedding celebration held at the village hall. The assailants, whose identities remain unknown, opened fire without warning.

Initial accounts had indicated that one of the attackers might have been run over by the couple’s car while attempting to flee. However, Avignon prosecutor Florence Galtier later stated that the suspect had been struck “in the exchange” of gunfire. The remaining attackers, who had arrived in a vehicle, escaped the scene on foot after the shooting.

Police have confirmed that a total of 28 people were inside the hall at the time of the attack. In addition to the fatalities and the seriously wounded, one woman sustained minor injuries.

Local mayor Didier Perello explained that the hall had been reserved back in March “for a wedding by people who don’t live in the commune.” He expressed shock at the violence, saying, “I’m outraged. We’re close to towns, I won’t name them, where unfortunately, we’ve seen this kind of thing before.”

Guillaume Molinas, a 50-year-old restaurant owner, voiced concern that the tragic incident would unfairly tarnish the reputation of the village, which has a population of around 1,000. “The last major incident in the village was 125 years ago,” he told AFP, though he did not elaborate further.