Police do not know if there are any survivors from the incident because it’s unclear how many people were in the Enyobeni Tavern in the first place, Eastern Cape Police spokesperson Brigadier Thembinkosi Kinana told CNN.
The cause of the incident is currently under investigation, and many people have gathered at the scene trying to find loved ones.
The bodies of the victims, who were between 18 to 20 years old, will be transported to state mortuaries where relatives will help to identify them, said Siyanda Manana, a spokesperson for the Eastern Cape provincial health department.
“We are going to immediately be embarking on autopsies so we can know the probable cause of death,” he told Archyde.com as recovery work took place at the site at Enyobeni Tavern.