Kenya cult death toll passes 300, with more exhumations planned
Source: The Guardian and agencies
Kenya cult death toll passes 300, with more exhumations planned
More than 600 people still missing, authorities say, amid reports pastor ordered followers to starve themselves
Staff and agencies
Tue 13 Jun 2023 19.03 BST
Last modified on Tue 13 Jun 2023 19.20 BST
The death toll linked to a Kenyan pastor accused of ordering his followers to starve themselves to death to meet Jesus has passed 300, with the figure expected to increase as more exhumations are planned.
Authorities say the dead were members of the Good News international church, led by Paul Mackenzie, who is accused of ordering his followers to starve themselves and their children to death so they could go to heaven before the end of the world.
The toll reached 303 after 19 more bodies were exhumed from mass graves in Shakahola forest, in south-east Kenya, where the self-styled pastor and his followers lived.
More than 600 people have been reported missing, a regional official, Rhoda Onyancha, said. Investigators last week expanded their search for victims to cover a wider area in the region.
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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jun/13/kenya-cult-death-toll-passes-300-with-more-exhumations-planned
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I just noticed that the yellow police sign is in English. Curious is all.
A mass grave site in Shakahola forest, in south-east Kenya, where the pastor Paul Mackenzie and his followers lived. Photograph: Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty Images
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