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At least 21 minors between the ages of 13 and 17 died Sunday morning in South Africa’s coastal city of East London, celebrating the end of a tavern test, police said.
The cause of death was not immediately known. According to The Sunday Times, local media initially reported that stampede could have occurred in a crowded tavern, but police later ruled it out because none of the victims were visibly injured. ..
Nine of the victims are women and twelve are men. Police found 17 bodies when they arrived at the tavern, two died at a local clinic, one died at the hospital, and one died on the way to the hospital.
Owner Siyakhangela Ngevu told eNCA that he was called by security guards because of the “confusion” in the tavern.
According to a translation of the interview, he told a South African television station, “The gate was perfect, with some children forcing themselves, feeling that the guards found it difficult to control the situation.” rice field. “I sympathize with those who lost their loved ones. I didn’t mean to do that. I’d like you to calm down and leave it to the police to take you from there.”
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Posted images and videos On social media Showed a distraught crowd of spectators outside the tavern on Sunday.
Police Minister Bheki Cele said investigators are investigating “problems with compliance with the liquor law.”
“We have an experienced team that complements the state’s team, ensuring that we reach the roots of what led to the deaths of these young people,” Sele said in a statement.
The legal drinking age in South Africa is 18 years.
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South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa’s office also expressed condolences to his family, saying the investigation would reveal what had happened.
“But the president is concerned about the reported situation in which such young people have gathered in places that seemingly should be off limits to people under the age of 18,” Ramaphosa said in a statement.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.