A fierce gunfight disturbed the peace of a residential neighbourhood in Guangzhou on Sunday afternoon, forcing terrified residents to scramble for cover.

Calm has now been restored, and many shops and restaurants in Xiayuan Residential Area of the city's Huangpu District have re-opened for business.

The gunfight took place at about 3:20 PM, when two groups of unknown gunmen began shooting near a restaurant. The gunfight involved at least 10 people, two of whom were wearing masks.

Witnesses said the gunfight last about 10 minutes, and approximately 10 shots were fired.

They said at least two were injured during the gunfight.

The gunmen escaped in five cars before police arrived, leaving a white car on the scene.

"When the gunfight started, many stores and apartments immediately closed their doors and windows," a local resident surnamed Shi was quoted as saying by Guangzhou Daily.

"The scene of the gunfight was cleared up after police collected evidence, including cartridge cases," a local resident, who gave only his family name Zhang, said yesterday.

Zhang said police arrived very quickly, and closed the scene for further investigation on Sunday afternoon.

A police officer from Guangzhou Municipal Bureau of Public Security told that the case is still under investigation.

"Police have set up a special task force to investigate the case and capture the suspects," he said.

The officer said police were not ruling out the possibility that this was violence between triads.

(China Daily June 6, 2006)