By: Claire Wang

Yesterday morning, South African police officers began to investigate a nightclub in Brookwood Mortuary of East London where more than 20 deaths occurred. Young South African teenagers had been attending the nightclub to celebrate the end of winter school exams.

The local newspaper Daily Dispatch reported that human bodies were scattered everywhere with no signs of injuries. It is still unknown how these young teenagers died. Siyakhangela Neduvu, the owner of the nightclub told the local broadcaster eNCA that he had been called to the scene that early Sunday morning. Later, he said, “I am still uncertain about what really happened but when I was called in the morning I was told the place was too full and that some people were trying to force their way into the tavern. …However, we will hear what the police say about the cause of death.”

A member of the nightclub named Sinethemba, along with her friends, waited for their parents to go to sleep before sneaking in the nightclub. However, after stating it was too crowded, many people were told to leave. “The man at the door, I think he was a bouncer, he closed the door and we couldn’t breathe. We were suffocated for a long time and everyone was pushing each other but there was no use because some people were dying, …It smelled like gas. I’m not sure if it was tear gas or pepper spray. Then some people died and I also fell asleep for three hours. When they woke us up, they also thought I was dead,” spoke Sinethemba.

The health department has stated that they will examine the bodies to find out some clues of what might have killed these young people. “At this point we cannot confirm the cause of death. …We are going to conduct autopsies as soon as possible to establish the probable cause of death. The deceased have been taken to state mortuaries,” said health department spokesperson Siyanda Manana.

When the police found out that teenagers are drinking underage, they described this situation as “concerning”.

SOURCE ONE: https://www.npr.org/2022/06/26/1107691194/south-african-police-investigating-deaths-20-nightclub

SOURCE TWO: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/6/27/we-suffocated-for-a-long-time-s-africa-nightclub-survivor-says