Originally published in Premier Christian News
The atmosphere at the Pentecostal church in the city of Kasindi in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) was upbeat on Sunday as hundreds gathered for a series of baptisms. The congregation swelled beyond capacity, forcing organisers to move the service outside.
Then, about 10 minutes in, a blast rocked the courtyard where worshippers had gathered, three witnesses told Reuters on Monday. Dozens were wounded with burns and cuts from flying debris. Fourteen died, army spokesman Anthony Mwalushayi said on Monday. Yesterday, The Christian Post reported that the death toll has risen to “at least 17” and that police have arrested a Kenyan man in connection with the blast for which Islamic State has claimed responsibility.
- Advertisement -
Cleanup efforts have now begun at the site of the attack. A small crater marked the centre of the blast site. A charred pair of trainers and pieces of ripped tin roof were scattered amid mangled plastic chairs and wooden pews. Health workers took away the dead in coffins that they placed in the bed of a pick-up truck.
“We were listening to the preacher when we heard a loud blast, it threw us to the ground,” Aline Pauni told Reuters from the bed of a nearby clinic where her burned feet were wrapped in bandages.
The attack was the latest against civilians by Islamist insurgents that roam eastern Congo and have killed thousands of villagers since 2014.
- Advertisement -
The army has blamed the attack on Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a Ugandan militant group that pledged allegiance to the Islamic State in 2019. The militant group could not be reached for comment and did not claim responsibility for the bombing.
Kasindi is in a province where DRC and Ugandan forces have launched a campaign against the ADF, which began as an uprising in Uganda but has been based in DRC since the late 1990s.
“We beg the authorities to bring us security so such acts do not happen again,” Paluku Kivugha, a relative of one of the dead, told Reuters. “Every time there are large groups of people there are risks.”
Please help us to keep on publishing news that brings Hope in Jesus:
>> Donate >> Become a Super Subscriber
VISIT OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL: https://www.youtube.com/gatewaynews100
COMMENTING GUIDELINES
You are welcome to engage with our articles by making comments [in the Comments area below] that add value to a topic or to engage in thoughtful, constructive discussion with fellow readers. Comments that contain vulgar language will be removed. Hostile, demeaning, disrespectful, propagandistic and off-topic comments may also be moved. This is a Christian website and if you wish to vent against Christian beliefs you have probably come to the wrong place and your comments may be removed. Ongoing debates and repetitiveness will not be tolerated. You will also disqualify yourself from commenting if you engage in trolling.
