South African police searched intensely this Monday for clues in an informal bar located in the south of the country where the weekend took place. 21 young people died in mysterious circumstances.

Police reported being summoned around 4am Sunday morning after receiving reports that there were “immovable bodies” in the nightclub. She was in a casual bar (known as shebeens), of Scenery Park, in East London, in the south of the country, which discovered the bodies of 17 young people, some of whom only 13 years old.

Four others later died in hospital. In total there were 13 males and eight females, no visible woundsAccording to authorities, most of the victims were students who were having a party after the semester’s exams ended.

The shebeens they were places for illegal drinking born during apartheid. Currently they are allowed or tolerated in municipalitiesformer black ghettos.

Authorities said they are investigating if it was alcohol poisoning, poisoning or other reasons, while autopsies are performed. In total, 31 people were taken to the hospital with vomiting, headache, back and chest pain.

Testimonies of survivors and subsequent passages

“I passed out. I was out of breath, there was a strong smell, some kind of spray. We thought of pepper spray,” Sinovuyo Monyane, 19, a survivor who said she did, told AFP. he regained consciousness when water was poured on his face.

“There were scattered bodies. Some people sprayed them with water, but they didn’t move,” he added.

“The place was packed. Admission was free and Free alcohol was also distributed. We started drinking and having fun together, “a 16-year-old girl told the BBC she asked to remain anonymous.

The young woman added that many tried to force their way into the premises, which only had two doormen to control the crowd. “That was when people started falling apart, they were falling like flies,” she said.

“I thought they were passing out because they had drunk too much. Many have escaped from the windows. My friends died and we were all traumatized. “

An official from the Department of Security and Community of the Eastern Cape Province, Unathi Binqose, however, excluding the possibility of a stampede as a cause of death.

Authorities have warned that toxicology tests could take “a long time”. Several samples were taken and flown to Cape Town, 800km west of East London, said Unathi Binqose, a government security official. A special investigation team was also sent from Pretoria. , the police did not arrest anyone.

In South Africa, the the consumption of alcohol is forbidden to minors of 18 years. However, the legislation is not always enforced, especially in informal bars.

Source: AFP