Death Toll in Kenyan Starvation Cult Rises to 73: Police

Death Toll in Kenyan Starvation Cult Rises to 73: Police
A homicide detective crosses the cordon line to exhume bodies of suspected members of a Christian cult named as Good News International Church, in Shakahola forest of Kilifi county, Kenya, on April 22, 2023. Stringer/Reuters
Reuters
Updated:

NAIROBI—Kenyan police have recovered 73 bodies, mostly from mass graves in a forest in eastern Kenya, thought to be followers of a Christian cult who believed they would go to heaven if they starved themselves, a police officer said on Monday.

The death toll, which has repeatedly risen as exhumations have been carried out, could rise further. The Kenyan Red Cross said 112 people have been reported missing to a tracing and counseling desk it has set up at a local hospital.