A bride was shot dead on her wedding night in a village near the southeast French city of Avignon by masked gunmen, according to local officials.
One suspected attacker was also killed in an apparent exchange of fire, while the groom and a 13-year-old child were critically injured during the event in the village of Goult.
A manhunt involving dozens of police officers and a helicopter is underway for an unknown number of individuals who have fled.
According to French media, the violence may have been motivated by drug-related score-settling.
The authorities have launched an inquiry into both murder and attempted murder.
Unidentified assailants opened fire on the bride, 27, and groom, 25, as they were leaving the wedding party in the village hall about 04:30 (02:30 GMT) on Sunday, according to the AFP news agency.
Initial reports reported that one of the attackers had been driven over by the couple’s car; however, Avignon prosecutor Florence Galtier stated that the suspect was struck “in the exchange”.
The prosecution stated that the surviving attackers, who arrived by automobile, escaped on foot following the shooting.
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According to authorities, 28 people were present in the hall when the attack occurred. One woman was also slightly hurt in the event.
The hall was booked in March “for a wedding by people who don’t live in the commune”, local mayor Didier Perello stated.
“I’m outraged,” he added. “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, said he feared the deadly attack would give the village of some 1,000 inhabitants a “bad name”.
“The last major incident in the village was 125 years ago,” he was quoted as saying by AFP without giving details.
