At least 20 patrons of a South African nightclub died overnight of unknown causes, police say, on a night when university students were celebrating the end of their winter exams, the AP reports.
A local paper in East London, a resort town along South Africa’s southeastern coast, said bodies were lying on tables and slouched in chairs at the club, as the patrons reportedly died suddenly where they were positioned. No signs of trauma or abuse were found on the bodies.
“At this point we cannot confirm the cause of death,” said health department spokesperson Siyanda Manana. “We are going to conduct autopsies as soon as possible to establish the probable cause of death. The deceased have been taken to state mortuaries.”