At least 21 found dead at tavern

Twenty-one teenagers were found dead early Sunday in a tavern in the coastal city of East London, police said, in a tragedy that remains a mystery and that has left much of the country reeling emotionally.

Initial reports were that the teenagers, who police say ranged in age from 13 to 17, died from a stampede. But Bheki Cele, the national police minister, said investigators had not confirmed that theory. He was overcome with tears as he spoke about the victims, nine girls and 12 boys.

“It’s a scary thing,” Cele said outside of the mortuary where the victims were being examined.

Television news footage showed local residents, many of them seeking information about loved ones, gathered on a dirt road outside the modest building housing the bar, Enyobeni Tavern.

Unathi Binqose, spokesperson for the Department of

Community Safety in the Eastern Cape province, said the tavern had hosted a large party Saturday night featuring two DJs who were celebrating their birthdays. The party was also billed as a celebration of South Africa’s dropping its mask mandate for public places.

“It attracted huge numbers, more than the tavern can accommodate,” he said of the party.

Bouncers told investigators that in an effort to control the crowd, they closed the doors to the venue, Binqose said. People outside were said to have tried to push their way in, setting off a panic and a stampede, which may have been exacerbated by someone releasing pepper spray, he said.

But the theory of a stampede seemed inconsistent with what forensic experts had found in

terms of injuries to the victims, Binqose said. Victims were found sprawled on the gray tile floor, but also on a sofa and a coffee table.

“In terms of physical evidence, nothing points to a stampede,” he said.