At least 21 people were found dead inside a South African nightclub Sunday.
Dead bodies were laid out across chairs and tables at Enyobeni Tavern in East London. There were no signs of bodily injuries. The majority of the victims were between 13-20 years old and were at the club celebrating the end of their school exams.
One attendee said she had snuck out of her parent’s house after they fell asleep to attend the party. The teen claimed that when the tavern became overcrowded, security guards asked people to leave, but no one did.
When people refused to leave, the guards began spraying an unknown substance into the crowd.
“The man at the door, I think he was a bouncer, he closed the door and we couldn’t breathe. We suffocated for a long time and pushed each other but there was no use because some people were dying,” the young woman said.
“It smelled like gas. I’m not sure if it was tear gas or pepper spray. Then some people died and I also fell asleep for three hours. Then when they woke us up, they also thought I was dead,” she continued. She said that she was unable to stand after she woke up.
Authorities arrived around 4:00 a.m. after receiving a series of frantic phone calls from people at the tavern.
“At this point, we cannot confirm the cause of death. We are going to conduct autopsies as soon as possible to establish the probable cause of death,” Health Department spokesperson Siyanda Manana said.
“This tragedy is made even more grave by its occurrence during Youth Month – a time during which we celebrate young people, advocate and advance opportunities for improved socio-economic conditions for the youth of our nation,” South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said in a statement. He noted that it was concerning that underage children were allowed into the club.
