20 Die In Church While Rushing To Get Anointed With ‘Blessed Oil’

About 20 people have died and many injured in a stampede during a church service at a stadium in northern Tanzania after the victims rushed to get anointed with blessed oil.

On Saturday evening, hundreds of people had attended the church service on in Moshi town near the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro and crushed each other as they rushed to be blessed with “blessed oil”.

“Twenty people died and 16 others were injured in the incident,” Moshi district commissioner Kippi Warioba told Reuters by telephone. Five of those killed were children, he said.

Pastor Boniface Mwamposa has been drawing huge crowds by promising prosperity and cure for the disease to worshippers who walk on what he describes as “blessed oil” during his church services.

Authorities fear the death toll could rise due to the size of the crowd and dark conditions when the stampede occurred.

“The incident took place at night and there were many people, so there is a possibility that more casualties could emerge. We are still assessing the situation.”

Police said Mwamposa was being held for questioning.

Warioba said the authorities were looking into whether more casualties were taken to other local clinics, health facilities, and hospitals.

“The incident took place at night and there were many people, so there is a possibility that more casualties could emerge. We are assessing the situation,” he told newsmen.