Johannesburg - The families of three women who died during a stampede at Shepherd Bushiri's church in Pretoria remain untraceable.
This is according to Pretoria police spokesperson Captain Augustinah Selepe.
The three women died at the Enlightened Christian Gathering (ECG) church in Pretoria on Friday night.
“The status quo remains the same. We have not been able to locate the families of the deceased,” Selepe said yesterday.
A police delegation led by Tshwane West policing cluster commander Major-General Daniel Mthombeni visited the Pretoria Showgrounds - where the church is situated - on Saturday afternoon, shortly after learning about the alleged stampede by congregants which led to the trio's death.
“According to them (ECG), when the rain started (on Friday evening), the congregation started to push each other and a stampede occurred, unfortunately leading to three deaths and nine injuries,” he said.
He said the three victims had not yet been identified. The exact cause of the incident was yet to be ascertained. “An inquest has been opened. Anyone with a missing person believed to have attended the church should visit Pretoria West police station. The injured people were taken to Kalafong Hospital and Pretoria West Hospital."