East London –
Teenagers who died in a liquor store or bar in south Africa (South Africa) to 21 people. The cause of death of the teenager is still a mystery.
Local officials said the teenager was believed to be a student celebrating their high school final exams on Saturday evening local time.
There were no visible wounds on their bodies. Officials have ruled out a stampede as a possible cause and said an autopsy would determine whether the death could be linked to poisoning.
An AFP correspondent’s report said crowds of people, including parents whose children were missing, gathered on Sunday outside the tavern where the tragedy occurred in the city of East London as a morgue lifted the bodies.
Senior government officials rushed to the scene. They included National Police Minister Bheki Cele, who burst into tears after leaving the morgue.
“It’s a horrific sight,” Cele told reporters.
“They are quite young. When you are told they are 13, 14 and you go out there and you see them. It destroys (you).”
17 People Found Dead on the Spot
The Eastern Cape provincial government said eight girls and 13 boys had died. Seventeen were found dead in the tavern. The rest died in hospital.
Alcoholic beverages are permitted for over 18 years in the city’s taverns, commonly known as shebeens. These are often located adjacent to the family home or, in some cases, within the house itself.
But safety rules and drinking age laws are not always enforced.
“We had a child who was there, who died at the scene,” said the parents of a 17-year-old girl.
“This child, we didn’t think we would die this way. This is a humble, respectful child,” said the mother of one of the victims, Ntombizonke Mgangala, standing beside her husband outside the morgue.
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