Briefly

UNITED STATES

2 dead in shooting in church parking lot

A shooting outside a church building in Salt Lake City killed two people and injured six others on Wednesday, police said. The shooting took place in the parking lot of a meeting house of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, widely known as the Mormon church. Dozens of people were attending a funeral inside at the time. All the victims were adults. Police said they do not believe the shooter had any animus toward a particular faith. Police also do not believe the shooting was random.

GAMBIA

39 killed as boat with migrants capsizes

The death toll after a boat carrying Europe-bound migrants capsized off Gambia's coast on New Year's Eve has risen to 39, two government officials ‍ ‍told Reuters, as survivors described the vessel as "overcrowded". Gambia's defense ministry last week put the death toll at seven and said more than 200 people could ‍ ‍have been on board. A total of 112 people had been rescued as of Wednesday, said Sima Lowe, public relations officer for Gambia's Immigration Department. The migration route used by West Africans trying to reach Spain is one of the world's deadliest.

Agencies - Xinhua