At least 17 patrons aged between 18 and 20 years have been found dead inside a popular township nightclub in East London, South Africa.
It has been reported that the young people were students who had gone to Enyobeni Tavern to celebrate after writing high school exams.
Local newspaper, DispatchLive, reported that “bodies are lying strewn across tables, chairs and on the floor; with no obvious signs of injury”.
Brigadier Tembinkosi Kinana told Reuters that police were alerted early Sunday by members of the public to the incident at Scenery Park, about three kilometres from the city centre.
“The circumstances under which they died are under investigation,” Kinana said.
Al Jazeera reported that Eastern Cape provincial community and safety department official Unathi Binqose told AFP that the deaths may not have been due to a stampede.
“It’s difficult to believe it’s a stampede as there are no visible open wounds to those dead,” Binqose.
There is speculation that the number of people who have died is 22 and that the people may have been poisoned.
Parents whose children did not sleep at home gathered at the tavern on Sunday morning to check if their children were some of the victims.
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