Parents demand access to bodies of 22 found dead at East London tavern

Police are refusing parents access to the bodies of their children after they were killed in an as yet unknown tragedy that has left at least 22 people dead at an East London tavern.

The cause of the deaths at Enyobeni Tavern in Scenery Park is unknown at this time. Initial speculation was that the patrons were either exposed to some form of poison or an incident resulted in a large number being killed in a stampede, but with a lack of any visible injuries and the positioning of the bodies, commentators have suggested that it could not have been a stampede.

Inside the venue, Daily Dispatch witnessed bodies lying bizarrely as if they collapsed to the floor suddenly while dancing or in the middle of a conversation, some seemingly in the social circles they were engaging with. Other bodies are slumped across chairs and lying over tables.

There is a large police contingent, with Eastern Cape police commissioner Major General Nomthetheleli Lilian Mene already on site.

This is a developing story.

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