South Africa: At Least 22 Found Dead in East London Club; Police Probing Cause

The reason behind the deaths of the young people, who were reportedly attending a party to celebrate the end of winter school exams, remains unclear. 

Johannesburg/New Delhi: South African police are investigating the deaths of at least 22 people at a nightclub in the coastal town of East London early Sunday morning, reported news agency AP. All those found dead were aged between 18 and 20. The bodies were strewn across tables and chairs without any visible signs of injuries, local newspaper Daily Dispatch reported.

The reason behind the deaths of the young people, who were reportedly attending a party to celebrate the end of winter school exams, remains unclear. At this point we cannot confirm the cause of death, health department spokesperson Siyanda Manana was quoted as saying. The bodies were taken to mortuaries, where post-mortem examinations – including toxicology tests – will seek to establish a cause of death.

President expresses grief

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa expressed his “deepest condolences” to families of the victims. “This tragedy is made even more grave by its occurrence during Youth Month – a time during which we… advocate and advance opportunities for improved socio-economic conditions for the youth of our nation,” he said in a tweet.

‘Unlimited consumption of liquor…’

Oscar Mabuyane, premier of East Cape Province where the tragedy happened, did not give possible reasons for the deaths, but condemned the “unlimited consumption of liquor”. He said: “You can’t just trade in the middle of society like this and think that young people are not going to experiment.”

(With inputs from AP)