At least 17 people have been found dead bodies found at Enyobeni tavern in, Scenery Park, East London and taken to state mortuaries.
Forensics Pathology Teams and EMS Teams are at the scene. It is still unclear what led to the multiple deaths.
Eastern Cape Community Safety spokesperson Unathi Binqose says there’s a possibility that the number of fatalities may be higher as investigations continue. Earlier reports stated police were investigating the deaths of at least 22 people.
Binqose says there they have no reports so far of any survivors from the incident because it’s unclear how many people were in the local nightclub in the first place.
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The incident happened in the early hours of Sunday morning. There is speculation that patrons were either exposed to some form of poison or an incident that resulted in a large number being injured and killed in a stampede. Other investigations have suggested that a stampede broke out when one or two DJs attracted “unanticipated numbers” of young people to the small tavern.