South African police have found some 17 bodies in a nightclub in East London city, local media reports.
Media reports that the bodies were found at Enyobeni Tavern on Sunday, June 26 morning.
Unestablished reports have also indicated that several others were injured as the death toll is rising.
"The circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation as we speak," a police spokesman has told the Newzroom Africa television channel.
"We do not want to make any speculations at this stage," Brigadier Tembinkosi Kinana said.
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Reports by BBC indicate that a large number of emergency service personnel are on the scene, which is located in the Eastern Cape province.
Eastern Cape Police Commissioner Nomthetheleli Lilian Mene told the South African Broadcasting Company (SABC) News that "there was an alleged stampede inside the tavern".
Four people have been taken to hospital, SABC reports.
Brigadier Kinana told reporters that most of those found dead were young adults aged between 18 and 20.
Eyewitnesses told the Daily Dispatch newspaper that bodies were lying inside the venue as if they had collapsed on the floor.
A spokesperson for Eastern Cape's health department told News24 the dead bodies were taken to various nearby mortuaries.
Siyanda Manana added: "We are going to conduct autopsies as soon as possible to establish the probable cause of death."
