2023-04-28 01:21:43
The case of a sect in Kenya that encouraged people to extreme fasting to the point of intentionally leading them to death, with the purpose of “finding the Creator” may have victimized more than 300 people.
The number of bodies found in shallow graves it has already reached 89, and authorities reported that dozens of people continue to go to the morgue in the city of Malindi to obtain information about missing relatives.
The Red Cross organization estimates that it has already listed more than 300 people reported as missing by friends and family. The case has become one of the biggest recent tragedies involving sects.
According to information from the CNNthe morgue has filled up quickly since authorities began exhuming the remains last Friday in a forest called Shakahola, where the sect called Igreja Internacional da Boa Nova operated.
“My heart is hurting a lot,” said Mwachai Jombo, 48, from Malindi. He went to the morgue in search of his missing wife, son and two daughters, and claimed that his wife had joined the sect and moved to the forest three years ago, taking all of the family’s household items and three of their children with her.
Jombo also related that he had sent her 7,000 shillings ($50) for her upkeep, but she gave most of the money to the sect.
During his visit to the hospital in Malindi, where the survivors were being treated, he heard from one of them that his children were alive. As Jombo had no confirmation of the fate of any of his relatives, the widower was desperate for news.
In the summary of the tragedy, the authorities indicated that 81 bodies were found in shallow graves, while eight people were found alive, but later died. With the rescue of two women on Wednesday, the number of survivors rises to 36.
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