- Nobel-winning physicist 'unnerved' by AI technology he helped create
- Mexico president rules out new 'war on drugs'
- Israeli defense minister postpones trip to Washington: Pentagon
- Europe skipper Donald in talks with Garcia over Ryder return
- Kenya MPs vote to impeach deputy president in historic move
- Former US coach Berhalter named Chicago Fire head coach
- New York Jets fire head coach Saleh: team
- Australia crush New Zealand in Women's T20 World Cup
- US states accuse TikTok of harming young users
- 'Evacuate now, now, now': Florida braces for next hurricane
- US Supreme Court skeptical of challenge to 'ghost guns' regulation
- Sparks fly as Orban berates EU 'elites' in parliament trip
- US finalizes rule to remove lead pipes within a decade
- Solanke hungry for second England cap after seven-year wait
- Gilded canopy restored at Vatican basilica
- Zverev scrapes through, Djokovic cruises to Shanghai Masters last 16
- Trump secretly sent Covid tests to Putin: Bob Woodward book
- Gauff answers critics: 'It's hard to win all the time'
- Neural networks, machine learning? Nobel-winning AI science explained
- China says raised 'serious concerns' with US over trade curbs
- Boeing delivers 27 MAX jets in September despite strike
- German 'Maddie' suspect could be free in 2025 after cleared of other sex crimes
- Italy seek Nations League consistency as Germany continue rebuild
- From boom to budgeting as reality bites for Saudi football
- Stock markets diverge as Hong Kong sinks, oil prices fall
- US trade gap narrowest in five months as imports slip
- Stay and 'you are going to die': Florida braces for next hurricane
- England 96-1 after Salman's century lifts Pakistan to 556
- Hollywood star Idris Elba champions African cinema in Ghana
- Djokovic rolls Cobolli to make Shanghai Masters last 16
- Milan's Hernandez receives two-game suspension after referee rant
- Geoffrey Hinton, soft-spoken godfather of AI
- Ex-Barcelona and Spain great Iniesta retires aged 40
- Duo wins Physics Nobel for 'foundational' AI breakthroughs
- German 'Maddie' suspect could be free in 2025 after cleared of separate sex crimes
- China slaps provisional tariffs on EU brandy imports
- Ex-skipper Skelton eyes Wallabies November return
- Spanish great Iniesta leaves indelible legacy after retirement
- Indian Kashmir elects first regional government in a decade
- Hong Kong stocks crash, oil prices retreat on fading China boost
- Man City accuse Premier League of 'misleading' claims after legal case
- Duo wins Physics Nobel for key breakthroughs in AI
- Agha defies England as Pakistan post 515-8 in first Test
- September second-warmest on record: EU climate monitor
- Pastor wanted by US for sex trafficking to run for Philippine senate
- Mozambican writer Mia Couto dreams future leaders set an 'example'
- German 'Maddie' suspect could be free soon after cleared of separate sex crimes
- China says to take anti-dumping measures against EU brandy imports
- German suspect in 'Maddie' case cleared in separate sex crimes trial
- Israel expands offensive against Hezbollah in south Lebanon
RBGPF | -0.46% | 60.52 | $ | |
RYCEF | 1.29% | 6.97 | $ | |
CMSC | 0.29% | 24.641 | $ | |
RIO | -4.42% | 66.675 | $ | |
SCS | -1.33% | 12.78 | $ | |
GSK | -1.59% | 38.026 | $ | |
NGG | 0.61% | 65.88 | $ | |
BTI | 0.04% | 35.215 | $ | |
CMSD | 0.25% | 24.851 | $ | |
AZN | 0% | 76.87 | $ | |
RELX | 1.27% | 46.63 | $ | |
JRI | -0.15% | 13.16 | $ | |
BCC | 0.56% | 142.06 | $ | |
VOD | -0.31% | 9.66 | $ | |
BCE | -0.03% | 33.52 | $ | |
BP | -3.5% | 32.02 | $ |
Police investigate deaths of 21 teenagers at S. African tavern
At least 21 teenagers died over the weekend after a night out at a township tavern in South Africa, officials said Sunday.
Although the cause of the deaths is still unclear, local officials and politicians said they feared this might have been a case of under-age drinking that went tragically wrong.
The provincial government of Eastern Cape said eight girls and 13 boys had died at the tavern, in a residential area called Scenery Park. Seventeen were found dead at the scene, while the rest died in hospital.
Empty bottles of alcohol, wigs and even a pastel purple "Happy Birthday" sash were found strewn on the dusty street outside the double-storey Enyobeni Tavern, said Unathi Binqose, a safety government official who arrived at the scene at dawn.
Many of the victims are thought to have been students celebrating the end of their high-school exams on Saturday night, officials said.
There were no visible wounds on the bodies, but autopsies would determine if the deaths could be linked to poisoning, they added.
Among the senior government officials who rushed to the southern city was Police Minister Bheki Cele.
He broke down in tears after emerging from a morgue where the bodies were being stored.
"It's a terrible scene," he told reporters.
"They are pretty young. When you are told they are 13 years, 14 years and you go there and you see them. It breaks (you)."
- Under-age drinking suspected -
Drinking is permitted for over-18s.
But in township taverns which are often situated cheek by jowl with family homes, safety regulations and drinking-age laws are not always enforced.
"We have a child that was there, who passed away on the scene," said the parents of a 17-year-old girl.
"This child, we were not thinking was going to die this way. This was a humble child, respectful," said grieving mother Ntombizonke Mgangala, standing next to her husband outside the morgue.
President Cyril Ramaphosa, who is attending the G7 summit in Germany, sent his condolences.
He voiced concern "about the reported circumstances under which such young people were gathered at a venue which, on the face of it, should be off-limits to persons under the age of 18".
The authorities are now considering whether to revise liquor licensing regulations.
South Africa is among the countries in Africa where most alcohol is consumed.
Provincial prime minister Oscar Mabuyane condemned the "unlimited consumption of liquor".
"You can't just trade in the middle of society like this and think that young people are not going to experiment," he said outside the tavern.
- 'No obvious signs of injury' -
Commenting on the tragedy the tavern's owner, Siyakhangela Ndevu, said: "It's not something that as a businessman, I expected to have happened there, but things like this happen unexpectedly."
There had been a rush to enter the bar by revellers despite warnings it was full, he told reporters.
He was called to the scene after 1:00 am (2300 GMT) as there were "too many people. Others want to go out and others ...want to forcefully enter".
But safety official Binquose ruled out a stampede as the cause of death.
"There are no visible open wounds," he told AFP.
"Forensic (investigators) will take samples and test to see if there was any poisoning of any sort," he said.
The regional liquor licensing agency said it was considering revoking the tavern's licence and laying criminal charges against the owner for "blatant" contravention of the law that prohibits the sale of alcohol to under 18's.
Local newspaper DispatchLive reported on its website bodies "lying strewn across tables, chairs and on the floor, with no obvious signs of injury".
Some of the dead were students celebrating "pens down" parties held after the end of the mid-year exams.
A crowd of people gathered outside the club in the city, which is located on the Indian Ocean coast, nearly 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) south of Johannesburg.
sn-strs/jj
P.Santos--AMWN