President Cyril Ramaphosa has sent his condolences to the families of the 22 laaities who died in a tavern in the Eastern Cape in the early hours of Sunday morning.
In a tweet in the afternoon, Ramaphosa said: “My deepest condolences go to the families of the 22 teenagers who lost their lives at a tavern in Scenery Park, East London, in the early hours of this morning.”
It came as police forensic and other crime scene investigators were still at the Enyobeni Tavern in East London, piecing together the circumstances that led to the tragedy.
undefinedEastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane told reporters at the scene that 17 people died at the scene and the others in hospital.
According to police, the victims are believed to be between the ages of 18 and 20.
Scores of residents gathered at the grisly scene as news spread of the tragedy.
While many were onlookers, some had come in search of their loved ones who had not returned home.
Mbuyane described the incident to IOL as “shocking” and said it cast a spotlight on liquor licences and how they are enforced.
“You can’t just have a tavern in the middle of a residential area,” he said.
According to media reports, the owner of the tavern was said to be distraught over the incident and decided to close the business while cops investigated.
The circumstances of the deaths were not yet established, but initial reports suggested that poor ventilation and the possibility of a poisonous substance in the air led to a stampede which resulted in the deaths.
Bodies were reportedly lying strewn across tables, chairs and on the floor.