Armed men opened fire at a wedding party in southeastern France early on Sunday, killing two people, including the bride, and wounding three others, including a child.

The attack in the village of Goult occurred around 4.30am (local time).

Prosecutors say the bride and groom were leaving the party when they were confronted by masked assailants who opened fire, the source close to the investigation added.

The 27-year-old bride died and one of the attackers was run over and killed by the bride and groom’s car as they tried to escape on foot.

The groom, 25, and a 13-year-old who was in the couple’s car received serious injuries.

A large-scale operation involving around 100 police has been launched to find those responsible for the shooting, according to a source.

According to a source close to the investigation, the violence might be linked to possible drug-related score-settling.

‘Outraged’

According to the police, 28 people were in the village hall at the time of the attack.

The authorities have opened an investigation into murder and attempted murder by an organised gang.

Several police cars blocked access to the scene of the tragedy on Sunday morning (local time).

“I’m angry. I’m outraged,” Goult Mayor Didier Perello told reporters.

Perello did not rule out possible score-settling.

“I’m ruling nothing out. Absolutely nothing,” he said.

“We’re close to towns, I won’t name them, where unfortunately, we’ve already seen this kind of thing before.”

Dozens of police and a helicopter have been mobilised to track down the gunmen.

According to the mayor, the village hall had been booked by the couple in March.

“The village hall had been rented for a wedding by people who don’t live in the commune,” he added.

Guillaume Molinas, 50, said he feared that the tragedy would “give the village a bad name”.

The French Government has recently vowed to intensify the fight against narcotics and drug-related crime.

– Agence France-Presse