PANAMA – The bodies of seven people have been found in a mass grave in an indigenous area of Panama where members of a religious sect were believed to be performing exorcisms, officials said.
The victims included a 32-year-old pregnant woman and five of her children, aged one to 11. The sixth was a neighbor aged 17. Fifteen others were freed.
Ten people were arrested on suspicion of murder. The suspects and all victims were thought to belong to the Ngäbe-Buglé indigenous community.
The grave was discovered after three villagers escaped and made their way to a local hospital last weekend, prosecutor Rafael Baloyes said.
On Wednesday, police raided the community, located in a jungle region.
Exorcism is a religious or spiritual ritual carried out to supposedly cure people of demonic possession. It remains controversial, in part due to its depiction in popular culture and horror films.(BBC)
