South Africa's 21 teens who died in tavern were suffocated, families told

A general view of Enyobeni, an east coast tavern where bodies of youth were found which prompted nationwide grief ahead of a mass funeral in the Eastern Cape province, in East London, South Africa, July 5, 2022. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

EAST LONDON, South Africa (Reuters) - Twenty one young people who died in a tavern tragedy in June were suffocated, five parents said on Thursday, relaying to reporters what health department officials told them was the conclusion of an official probe.

The youths -- the youngest of whom was a 13-year-old girl -- died in June while partying in a popular nightspot in a township outside the coastal city of East London, Eastern Cape province, and the grieving relatives had been demanding answers.