JUBA, March 30 (Xinhua) -- At least 74 people were killed in an attack by unknown armed men at a gold mining site in Central Equatoria State, South Sudan, a local official confirmed on Monday.

Kwacijwok Dominic Amandoch, spokesperson for the South Sudan National Police Service, said the incident occurred on the evening of March 28 in a gold mining area of Jebel Iraq.

"An unknown armed group attacked miners at the site, resulting in the killing of more than 74 people. Some others are still missing in the forest," Amandoch told Xinhua in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, noting that the victims were civilians engaged in gold mining activities in the area.

Security forces, including the police and the South Sudan People's Defence Forces, have been deployed to the area to assess the situation, conduct patrols, and carry out rescue operations, said Amandoch.

"Eleven bodies have so far been transported to a mortuary, while efforts are ongoing to locate those missing," he said, adding that the death toll could rise.

Authorities have yet to establish the identity of the attackers, despite unconfirmed reports of the presence of an opposition-linked camp near the scene, according to the spokesperson.

Eyewitnesses said the attackers rode past the Anguwan Rukuba junction and began shooting sporadically, forcing people to flee for safety.