Two Christians drown during baptism in Tanzania river

Two Christian worshippers drowned during a baptism ceremony in the Ugwasi River at Rombo in northern Tanzania’s Kilimanjaro region.

The victims, who are both male farmers and members of the Shalom Church, drowned in the river which the police say was deep with a very high current.

The Kilimanjaro police commander Hamis Selemani confirmed the deaths saying the pastor and other church members have been detained for interrogation.

“We are holding the church pastor and other followers for interrogation. We are holding them for further investigation to understand how others died and some managed to escape,” he told local media.

The police advised that the depth of rivers should be ascertained first before river baptisms are performed to avoid any incident. The religious ceremony is done in rivers mainly by charismatic churches in the country.