‘My Deepest Condolence’: South Africa Prez on 22 Bodies Found Dead in Nightclub

The incident reportedly took place at a local tavern in Scenery Park, which is about 3 km from the city centre.

South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa.

(Photo: Instagram/
cyrilramaphosa)

At least 22 people were found dead on Sunday, 26 June, at a nightclub in a township of East London, located in the southern part of South Africa, police said.

The incident reportedly took place in a local tavern in Scenery Park, which is about 3 km from the city centre. The incident occurred in the early hours of Sunday.

Meanwhile, most of those found dead were aged between 18 and 20.

South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa said in a tweet, "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."

He added, "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."

The bodies were taken to mortuaries for post-mortem examinations to establish a cause of death, BBC reported.

Confirming that they have received a report about the deaths of 17 people, Provincial Police Chief Brigadier Thembinkosi Kinana said that the public alerted them about the incident.

"The circumstances under which they died are under investigation. It is too early to determine the cause of death of the young adults aged between 18 and 20 years," Kinana told Reuters.

(With inputs from AFP and Reuters.)