"Twenty-one teenagers were found dead early Sunday morning in a tavern in the coastal city of East London, South Africa... in a tragedy that remains something of a mystery..."

"Initial reports were that the teenagers, who the police say ranged in age from 13 to 17, died from a stampede.... [A government spokesman] said the tavern had hosted a large party on Saturday night, featuring two DJs who were celebrating their birthdays. The party was also billed as a celebration of South Africa’s dropping its mask mandate for public places... Bouncers told investigators that in an effort to control the crowd, they closed the doors to the venue.... But the theory of a stampede seemed inconsistent with what forensic experts had found so far in terms of injuries to the victims.... Victims were found sprawled on the gray tile floor, but also on a sofa and a coffee table. 'In terms of physical evidence, nothing points to a stampede'...."

From "21 Teenagers Found Dead in South African Tavern, Officials Say/Initial reports suggested that there had been a stampede inside the club, in the coastal city of East London" (NYT).