Most bodies had been found without apparent injury in an underground establishment in East London. Survivors had mentioned a “stifling smell”.
Le Monde with AFP
The mystery remains in the death of 21 young people, at the end of June, in an informal bar in East London, in South Africa, after the publication of the first toxicological analyzes, which do not bring any conclusion, announced Tuesday 19 July the South African authorities.
The analyzes carried out by a CAP laboratory revealed the presence of alcohol in the blood of the victims, but not at a deadly rate, said Litha Matiwane, of the health service of the Cape Oriental province. “What we have determined as blood alcohol levels ranges from 0.50 to 2.60 grams per liter of blood, which does not allow us to conclude that the doctor said during a press point television from East London.
Regarding carbon monoxide, hemoglobin saturation levels in the blood range from 3.3 %to 21 %, largely below the 50 %lethal threshold, he said. The laboratory has also discovered methanol in the blood of all the victims, but additional analyzes are necessary to determine the quantity, he added.
The 21 young people, aged 14 to 20, had died in mysterious circumstances in the Enyobeni bar of the Township of Scenery Park, in East London. Most bodies were found on June 26 in the bar without apparent injury. Some died in the following hours in the hospital. The authorities had dismissed the possibility of a deadly stampede. Survivors had mentioned a “stifling smell” and testimonies had suggested poisoning or poisoning.
The owner of this clandestine but tolerated bar, 52, must appear on August 19 in court to respond to the accusation of alcohol sales to minors. Two of its employees, 33 and 34, have already received a fine of 2,000 rands (120 euros) for the same reason, said the South African police.