A bomb went off inside a church in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) on Sunday morning 15 January 2023, leaving several dead and injured.
Bodies were seen being loaded into a truck
The tragedy unfolded at the Kasindi Lubiriha church in North Kivu, according to local reports.
Horrific footage from the scene shows congregants in their Sunday best reeling after the blast and hauling injured parishioners on to pick up trucks.
Another clip, which The Mirror has decided not to publish, shows a churchgoer covered in blood, vomiting on the floor after the shock of the morning’s event.
In a third tragic video, which is also too grim to show, multiple bodies were seen laying on the floor between church pews blasted across the building by the explosion.
Tragic footage showed the bodies of churchgoers flung across the floor after the blast
Tragic footage showed the bodies of churchgoers flung across the floor after the blast
Initial reports on social media say the blast happened during a baptism ceremony.
Other rescuers from the church can be seen dragging the injured to safety.
Initial reports said the incident happened at a Catholic church, but the Congolese army later reported it happened at a Pentecostal parish.
The army confirmed that an Improvised Explosive Device had been detonated at the church in the town of Kasindi, which sits on the northeastern border with Uganda.
According to locals, this type of incident is unheard of in Kasindi.
From clips and images shared on social media, there were at least five fatalities and likely far more
From clips and images shared on social media, there were at least five fatalities and likely far more
A parishioner covered in blood sits in a car, still reeling after the blast
A parishioner covered in blood sits in a car, still reeling after the blast
Local outlet Les Volcans News reported that a suspect emerged from the trees, detonated his IED and then returned back to the camouflage of the forest.
The attack is yet to be claimed by any terrorist group, but the Islamic State affiliate, the Allied Democratic Forces, is known to operate in the area.
In 2019, an ISIS propaganda video showed ADF leader Musa Baluku pledging his militia’s allegiance to the Islamic State.
The Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC) conducted a series of massive sting operations between 2019 and 2020 that killed hundreds of ADF fighters.
But despite the killings, the ADF has been linked to more than 800 deaths since then.
On Christmas Day 2021, a suicide bomber attacked a restaurant and bar as patrons gathered to celebrate, killing at least six people.
Heavy gunfire rang out shortly after the bomb went off, with panicked crowds fleeing the town’s centre.
The attack marked the first known time that a suicide bomber has killed victims in eastern Congo.
Earlier that year, public gatherings were banned after a bomber detonated his IED at a Catholic Church and another at a busy intersection in the eastern city of Beni.
The attacks were linked to the ADF Islamist rebels, Congolese army spokesman Lt. Anthony Mwalushay said at the time.
The surge in bloodshed over the past few years confirms fears that religious extremism has taken hold in a region already plagued for years by rebels.
By Ryan Fahey
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