SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — In a tragic incident, five individuals were killed in a mass shooting that took place in Jamaica, marking another devastating event on the island.

Reports from local media indicated that the shooting happened late on a Monday night in St. Andrew, located in the southeastern part of the island, which includes the capital city of Kingston.

As of now, no arrests have been made, and the motive behind the shooting remains unclear.

Jamaica has witnessed a troubling surge in mass shootings recently. One of the earlier incidents resulted in the deaths of five men during a soccer match in late October, occurring in an area previously known for gang-related violence.

Despite Jamaica’s status as having one of the highest homicide rates in the world, standing at 53.3 per 100,000 inhabitants, there has been a decline in murders this year compared to the previous year. According to police data up to November 23, 1,039 homicides were reported so far this year, down from 1,262 during the same period last year.

The year 2009 holds the record for the highest homicides in Jamaica, with 1,683 reported in a population of approximately 2.8 million.

Much of the violent crime across Jamaica and the wider Caribbean is attributed to firearms that have been illicitly smuggled from the United States.