The 21 juvenile fatalities at a bar in the South African city of East London last month have been linked to the poisonous chemical methanol.
All of their bodies contained methanol, and examinations are still being conducted to ascertain whether their exposure to the poisonous substance was sufficient to cause their deaths.
Dr. Litha Matiwane, the provincial deputy director for clinical services for the Eastern Cape, stated at a news conference in East London on Tuesday that all 21 of the people who were present had methanol detected in them. However, the quantitative levels of methanol are still being analyzed to determine whether they could have been the cause of death.
Authorities are still awaiting the definitive results from the tests, which are being done at a facility in Cape Town, he said.
A hazardous version of alcohol called methanol is employed in industry as a solvent, insecticide, and alternate fuel source.
The manufacture of alcohol intended for human consumption does not use it.
It is still unknown how the children consumed the methanol.
Although traces of these substances were found in the corpses of all 21 fatalities, alcohol poisoning and carbon monoxide inhalation have both been ruled out as potential reasons of death, according to Matiwane.
The early morning hours of June 26 were shocked by the deaths of the teens at the Enyobeni tavern in East London’s Scenery Park suburb, which prompted many police and liquor licensing investigations.
Many of the teenagers, who ranged in age from 13 to 17, were discovered lying dead on couches and tables in the tavern.
Others passed away after being taken to a neighboring hospital.
According to national police minister Bheki Cele, South Africa’s police would base their decision regarding who will be prosecuted for the 21 deaths on the results of the toxicology analysis.
The proprietor of the Enyobeni Tavern and a few staff members were detained and are now out on bail after being accused of breaking the law on the sale of alcohol to minors.
