Mbeya — TWO people have been buried alive at Ivuna village in Momba district, Mbeya region for allegedly killing a relative and fellow villager by using witchcraft.

Mbeya Regional Police Commander, Mr Athuman Diwani named those buried alive as Mizinara Matela and Ernest Molela, residents of Ivuna village.They are alleged to have killed one Nongwa Molela who died after suffering from a long illness.

The RPC said the incident occurred on Sunday last week when people were paying their last respects to Molela when a group of about ten people erupted and accused the two of killing their relative.

In a bizarre twist, the group then attacked the suspects using sticks and stones and then threw them in Molela's grave and buried them while still alive along with the deceased, police said.

Even more bizarre is the fact that the two who were buried alive and the deceased were also related and after the incident, Ernest's house was torched.

The RPC noted that two people have been arrested and are suspected of being the instigators of the incident.

He added that police are in the process of exhuming the bodies for postmortem and later each body would be buried in its own grave.