242 bodies now found in Shakahola as the search and rescue continues

The police have also examined 79 dead bodies within three days out of the 129 that were scheduled to be examined.

News

• Police officers are still finding corpses scattered in the forest after the excavation exercise was stopped to allow for an autopsy.

• "We could not determine the cause of death of 20 bodies but twelve bodies showed signs of starvation," Oduor said.

Shakahola crime scene
Image: File

A woman's body was found on Monday in a thicket of Shakahola forest during a police search and rescue operation.

Police officers are still finding corpses scattered in the forest after the excavation exercise was stopped to allow for an autopsy.

The death toll now stands at 242. Another victim was also rescued on Monday, bringing the total to 93.

Detectives have also conducted an examination of 79 dead bodies within three days out of the 129 that were scheduled to take place.

Last week alone, five bones of people believed to be followers who died and their bodies were decomposed were found in the forest.

So far, the autopsy is still ongoing and is expected to be completed on Wednesday this week so that the team can begin the third phase of the exhumation.

On Monday, detectives and pathologists who conduct the postmortem examination managed to carry out an examination of 34 bodies removed from Shakahola.

Speaking during the daily session at the Malindi Sub-County Hospital, the state's chief pathologist Johansen Oduor said the bodies included 21 women and 10 men, while the gender of three bodies could not be determined because they were badly decomposed.

"We could not determine the causes of death of 20 bodies but twelve bodies had signs of starvation," he said.

Oduor said the team found that 32 of the bodies were badly decomposed, while two of them were partially decomposed.

The pathologist said they found that many were badly decomposed, they could not find the cause of death in 22 of them while 12 of them had symptoms similar to starvation.

"Since many bodies were not identified, we took samples for further tests that the Government Chemist would use for DNA genealogy so that they could be identified," he said.

The exercise may end this week so that the third phase of grave excavation can begin.

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