At least 20 people were reportedly crushed to death and 16 others injured after worshippers at an outdoor event in Tanzania stampeded to be anointed with blessed oil, according to reports.
Thousands had gathered at a stadium in the northern town of Moshi for the Saturday night service led by Pentecostal pastor Boniface Mwamposa. He invited people to pass through an area where “blessed oil” had been poured on the ground, leading the crowd to surge forward.
Sky News reported Moshi district commissioner Kippi Warioba saying: “The stampede occurred when the worshippers were rushing to get anointed with blessed oil.”
At least five of those killed were reported to be children.
The pastor, who had reportedly promised those who walked across the oil would be cured of illnesses and enter a state of prosperity, was arrested following the incident.
Tanzania’s President John Magufuli sent his condolences and called for better security at such events while the country’s interior minister George Simbachawene reportedly said the government would review laws to bring in tougher rules for registering churches.
