Churches of different denominations gathered yesterday to pray against the sudden and shocking deaths of twelve men of Pont’seng Ha-Masupha and Machache in Maseru, who died since October last year.

The prayer session was organized by the Lesotho Evangelical Church (LEC), Roman Catholic Church (RCL), Anglican Church of Lesotho (ACL) and the Pentecostal churches.

Speaking at the event, Ratau Local Councilor Mr Rabotsoa Letebele said the twelve men died unexpectedly, and their deaths are associated with witchcraft.

Mr Letebele explained that one of the men died complaining about fatigue, and that postmortem revealed that he had blood clots in his body.

He further said another man died at the hospital after doctors had done medical surgery on his stomach, as he was complaining about stomach pains.

In his statement, Mr Letebele said most of the men who died were working in the mines, and that they have left their widows at young age.

He also pointed out that a list of eighteen people who were targeted to be killed including the deceased was found from the suspect of the deaths, and said because of this, churches decided to gather in those places for prayer.

Reports indicate that six people out of twelve who appear on the list of victims are still alive, while twelve are dead.