The Eastern Cape Health Department has confirmed that the last body of the 21 victims of the Enyobeni Tavern tragedy has been identified.
Health spokesperson Yonela Dekeda says this means all bodies have been identified and released to families.
The tragic death of the teenagers aged between 13 and 17 happened at a Scenery Park tavern on Sunday morning.
Provincial police spokesperson Thembinkosi Kinana says they are still awaiting the forensic results to verify the cause of death.
He says reports that a poisonous chemical is suspected to have caused the deaths are unfounded as specimens extracted from the bodies have been sent to a forensic laboratory for toxicology tests.
“At this stage, there is no truth to these reports. What we are saying as the SAPS, the only official platform that is going to be informing the public and the relevant families is the SAPS after the report has been made available by the relevant authorities. As it is now we have not spoken about the cause of death because there is no report suggesting anything in that regard.”
Brigadier Thembinkosi Kinana speaks to SAfm Sunrise’s Stephen Grootes:
Residents want Enyobeni Tavern owner to explain why minors were allowed to consume alcohol
