Anger, Tears in South Africa After 21 Teens Likely Accidentally Poisoned in Pub

Forensic personnel investigate after the deaths of patrons found inside the Enyobeni Tavern, in Scenery Park, outside East London in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa, on June 26, 2022. Stringer/Reuters

EAST LONDON, South Africa—South African mourners expressed anger and despair on June 27 at the deaths of 21 teenagers in a tavern over the weekend, as investigating authorities said the youths were probably accidentally poisoned by something they ate, drank, or smoked.

The still unexplained deaths of the teens, some of whom were celebrating the end of school exams and others a birthday party, have brought an outpouring of grief and shocked a nation accustomed to injuries linked to a binge-drinking culture. Authorities ruled out an earlier-touted notion of a stampede.