Health officials in the Congo say more than 60 people have died after drinking a potion given to them by their priest to ward off evil spirits.
The Roman Catholic priest fled the village of Bosobe early last week after people started falling ill, according to Health Minister Yagi Sitolo.
“It was some sort of oily substance, which was given to supposedly deliver them,” Sitolo said of the potion.
He said an investigation has now been opened into 64 deaths.
The remote village is 300 miles north-east of the capital, Kinshasa.