Brazzaville: Angry villagers beat an Italian priest to death and abducted three nuns after their vehicle ran over and killed a young girl in the north of the Republic of Congo, a government spokesman said yesterday.
The accident occurred near the village of Onouengue, about 500km north of the capital Brazzaville on Monday, with Father Angelo Radelli at the wheel of the all-wheel drive.
"The priest came out of the vehicle to check on the girl and was attacked and beaten to death," government spokesman Alain Akouala said. "One scared French nun and another Congolese fled. We have not been able to locate them."
A government delegation left Brazzaville for Onouengue to try to secure the release of the abducted nuns, Mr Akouala said.
Father Radelli arrived in the parish in Makoua just a little over a week ago.