More than 20 bodies have been mysteriously found in a nightclub in South Africa

At least 21 young people have been found dead in a nightclub in a mostly black suburb of the South African city of east London (south), according to local police, who are investigating the cause of death.

An AFP reporter at the scene said the victims had been found in an informal bar in the scenic Park Ghetto in south-east London.

“We are still investigating the cause of these deaths,” said General Tempingosi Kinana, a spokesman for the provincial police.

Top government officials rushed to the city. Among them was National Police Minister Becky Cele, who burst into tears after leaving the morgue where the bodies were kept.

“It simply came to our notice then. “They are very young. Some are only 13 or 14 years old,” he said.

The death toll and their exact age were not immediately clear Sunday. The Eastern Cape provincial government says eight girls and 13 boys have been killed.

People over the age of 18 can drink at municipal restaurants, commonly known as shepherds, which are often housed in family homes or sometimes indoors. But safety rules and drinking age laws do not always apply.

“We have a daughter who died at the scene,” said the 17-year-old’s parents. “We never thought she would die like this. She is a humble and respectful woman,” said Entombisonke Mangala, standing with her husband outside the morgue.

– No visible injuries –

President Cyril Ramaphosa, who is attending the G7 summit in Germany, has expressed his condolences. He expressed his concern “for the circumstances in which these young people allegedly saw themselves in a place where at least 18-year-olds should be barred at first sight.”

Authorities are exploring the possibility of reviewing the licensing rules for the sale of liquor. South Africa is one of the largest drinkers in Africa.

Unadi Pincos, an official in the Eastern Cape’s Department of Defense and Social Welfare, dismissed the possibility of a fight as the cause of death.

“It’s hard to believe it was a fight because there were no signs of injuries to the dead,” Binqose told AFP by phone at the scene.

The official said in his opinion the customers were students who would “have dinner after the written exams”.

The local newspaper DispatchLive reported that “bodies were scattered on tables, chairs and on the floor without obvious signs of injury.”

On social media, some users have mentioned the possibility of gas poisoning or joint poisoning. The shared photos, whose authenticity could not be verified, showed no signs of injuries as the bodies lay on the ground.

Local television broadcast footage of police trying to calm a crowd outside a bar in the town on the Indian Ocean, about 1,000 kilometers south of Johannesburg.