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At least 58 people have died in relation to a starvation cult in Kenya, the country's police chief confirmed on Monday (April 24) via CNN.
The death toll is reportedly expected to continue to rise as 112 people have been reported missing in connection with the Christian cult, Good News International Church, whose members were told that they would go to heaven if they starved themselves. The cult's leader, Paul Mackenzie, was arrested after authorities initially received a tip that the bodies of at least 31 of his followers were buried in shallow graves in the Shakahola forest near the coastal town of Malindi, CNN reports.
Police began exhuming the bodies on Friday (April 21) and the death toll has risen significantly over the past three days. Fifteen members of the group were rescued by police earlier this month after they claimed they were told to starve themselves to death. Four of the members found by authorities were reported to have died when they reached the hospital.
Mackenzie was reported to have refused to eat or drink while in custody, police sources told local media outlets. Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki said officials had declared a scene of crime and sealed off the entire 800 acre forest where the bodies were initially found.
“This horrendous blight on our conscience must lead not only to the most severe punishment of the perpetrator(s) of the atrocity on so many innocent souls, but tighter regulation (including self-regulation) of every church, mosque, temple or synagogue going forward,” Kindiki said via CNN.