Methanol, a toxic form of alcohol that is often used as a solvent, pesticide or fuel, may be the cause of the death of 21 teenagers at a bar in East London, South Africa last month.
The toxic chemical was found in the bloodstreams of all 21 teenagers, whose lifeless bodies police found slumped over chairs and couches, lying on tables and sprawled on the dance floor at Enyobeni Tavern.
But investigators still aren’t sure if the levels found were high enough to have killed the teens. “Methanol has been detected in all the 21 individuals that were there, however there is still progressive analysis of the quantitative levels of methanol and whether it could have been the final cause of death,” Dr.
Litha Matiwane, Eastern Cape provincial deputy director for clinical service, said at a press conference on Tuesday. Read more: ‘Young people should not drink’ — World study challenges alcohol guidelines More conclusive results will come later, after a laboratory in Cape Town finishes its analysis, he said.