NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) – Five people, including four children, were killed in a suspected rush during a public inspection of the body of former Tanzanian President John Magufuli last weekend as regional leaders joined Tanzanians in their final honor to the controversial leader.
Magufuli was one of Africa’s most prominent COVID-19 skeptics, and although his government announced on Wednesday that he had died of a heart failure, opposition leaders and his critics claimed he had died of complications due to COVID-19.
Tens of thousands of Tanzanians watched Magufuli’s body at Uhuru Stadium in the country’s largest city, Dar es Salaam, over the weekend.
Suzan Mtua, 30, died with four school-going children from the same family when there was a rush of people trying to view the body on Sunday, family spokeswoman Heri Mtua said.
“The children demanded that they also attend President Magufuli’s funeral,” he said. “Later that day, we called an unknown person on Suzan’s phone late at night.” The caller said the owner of the phone was taken to a hospital. But his body was eventually found in the morgue, he said.
The children were between 7 and 12 years old.
Hundreds of people attending the funeral fainted and authorities said they would issue a statement on Tuesday on the number of people killed during the national event.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who was the vice president of Magufuli and succeeded him, was accompanied by nine African heads of state on Monday for the state funeral of Magufuli.
Among them were President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya, Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa, Felix Tshisekedi of Congo and Filipe Nyusi of Mozambique, Lazarus Chakwera of Malawi, Azali Assoumani of Comoros, Emmerson Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe, Edgar Lungu of Zambia and Mogkweots Masisi.
“We mourn the loss of our friend, our brother, a hard worker,” said Kenyatta, chairwoman of the East African Community regional bloc.
“He has shown us that we as Africans have the potential to free ourselves from dependence on foreigners. “As Africans, we have the potential to run our economies and ensure that our people get justice,” he said.
Magufuli has been missing in the public eye since February 27, when he swore in a new general secretary after his predecessor died with what many speculated was COVID-19. Government officials have denied for days that he was ill and claimed he was busy and that the president is not obliged to appear in public.
Magufuli is buried Friday.