Mafia blamed for Italy killings

Police are investigating whether the two shootings were linked

A local mafia clan is suspected of being behind the killings of six African immigrants in southern Italy, police say.

The six men from Ghana, Liberia and Togo were shot dead in Castelvolturno, near Naples, late on Thursday.

Police say the attack may be linked to a row between the Casalesi clan of the regional Camorra mafia and immigrants involved in drug-trafficking.

They say there had never been so many dead in a single shooting in the area.

Two other men were injured in the shooting.

In a separate incident in Castelvolturno, a man was gunned down near a local games hall.

The victim was shot 20 times, Italy's Ansa news agency reports. The man is said to be an Italian national.

Police are now investigating if the two shootings were linked.

They say the murders may be connected to drugs-trafficking in the town, where African immigrants have recently begun dealing autonomously, Ansa says.

The Casalesi clan - one of the most feared groups in the Camorra, is believed to be controlling drug-trafficking and prostitution in the region.