East London tavern 17 – police confirm they were youngsters aged between 18-20

Forensic investigators are carefully combing the scene where at least 17 youngsters aged between 18 and 20 years old were found dead at the Enyobeni tavern in East London.

The incident occurred in the early hours of Sunday morning at Enyobeni Tavern in Scenery Park.

While the cause of the deaths is unknown at this stage, Eastern Cape police spokesperson Brigadier Tembinkosi Kinana confirmed that 17 youngsters are now dead.

“The bodies are still on the scene, investigators are being very thorough because we don’t want people to say things have been bungled up,” said Kinana.

The circumstances surrounding the incident in East London are under investigation.

Police could not confirm rumours that youngsters were tear-gassed or pepper-sprayed, but Kinana did say no police officers were present at the tavern at the time of the incident.

No arrests have been made as yet and police are uncertain of precisely what charges to investigate.

This is a developing story. More to follow. Additional reporting by Thapelo Lekabe

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