JOHANNESBURG, South Africa ( Associated Press) – South African police are investigating the deaths of at least 21 people at a nightclub in the seaside city of east London in the early hours of Sunday. Officials said most of the victims were minors, some as old as 13.
It was not clear what caused the death of the youths, who were reportedly attending a party to celebrate the end of winter school exams.
According to the local Daily Dispatch newspaper, the bodies were lying on tables and chairs with no signs of violence.
“At this time we cannot confirm the cause of death,” health department spokeswoman Sianda Manana said. “We will conduct an autopsy as soon as possible to establish a possible cause of death.”
Police Minister Bhiki Sele said the victims were aged between 13 and 17, raising questions as to why the minors were served alcohol.
President Cyril Ramaphosa offered condolences to the families of the deceased.
“However, the president is concerned about the circumstances in which these youths have gathered in a place that should be out of bounds for people under the age of 18,” Ramaphosa said in a statement.
The death toll in this incident increased to 21.
Club owner Siakhangela Ndevu told local media that he had received a notice to go to the venue on Sunday morning.
“It is still not clear to me what exactly happened, but when they called me in the morning they told me that the place was very crowded and some people were trying to get into the inn,” he said. “We’ll see what the police say about the cause of the deaths.”
