Eastern Cape police have confirmed that at least 17 of the 22 people who died at Enyobeni tavern in East London were underage.
The incident happened in the early hours of Sunday morning at Enyobeni tavern in Scenery Park and the cause of death is still not unknown. There is speculation that the deceased were either exposed to some form of poison or an incident that resulted in a large number of people being injured in a stampede. It is understood that bodies lying strewn across tables, chairs, and others are on the floor of the club, with no visible signs of injuries.
“The SAPS confirms that indeed about 17 children were found dead inside a tavern…the circumstances surrounding the incident are still under investigation,” said Thembinkosi Kinana, the SAPS provincial spokesperson.
Kinana says they hope to have answers to what exactly happened by the end of the day. “We’re hoping that before the end of the day we will know exactly what may have happened.”
It had emerged that that the tavern was a popular hangout for underage patrons. Unathi Binqose, the spokesperson for the Department of Community Safety in the Eastern Cape, said an inquest docket has been open by the police and investigations are underway.
Binqose could not say whether the owner of the club would be charged for the deaths of the 22 people. He said several mortuary vans were at the scene to collect the bodies of the deceased. Binqose said several CCTV footage cameras which were located around the property would be able to help piece together what happened.