South Africa: A man’s partner survives by pretending to be dead after a father and daughter are shot dead inside their Cape Town home.

A man and his daughter were shot dead inside their home in Delft, Cape Town on Friday night after unknown gunmen smashed a window, forcefully unlocked their front door, and entered the premises.

The 42-year-old man and his 19-year-old daughter were reportedly shot and fatally wounded in their Nata Court home, in the suburb of Leiden.

“According to reports, the victims were at home when they heard gunshots…outside their house. Unknown gunmen then entered the house and shot the male and female before fleeing the scene,” said Western Cape police spokesperson, Sergeant Wesley Twigg.

“Both victims were declared deceased on the scene by medical personnel. A 40-year-old female escaped unharmed,” said Twigg.

Delft community policing forum (CPF) spokesperson Jacky Ockhuizen said the woman managed to escape because of her “quick thinking” in such a “dangerous and uncalled-for” situation, which saw her pretending to be dead on the bathroom floor while the gunmen were still in the house.

“Minutes later, police arrived on the scene; they found the two people dead. The [surviving] woman suffered injuries to her eyes after glass splinters flew into her face when the windows were smashed,” said Ockhuizen.