A pastor of Reformed Presbyterian Church has died after burning himself with petrol fire.

He was identified as Abraham Martin (57) of Kamoga Village in Traditional Authority Ngabu in Chikwawa.

The incident occurred on September 22, 2021 at about 0700hrs at Chimwanga Village in Traditional Authority Nanseta in Thyolo.

It is reported that the pastor was a psychiatric patient and was sickly for the past three weeks.

On Tuesday September 21, 2021 he left his house at about 1400hrs to Luchenza Trading Centre where he bought a bottle of petrol for his motorcycle.

Since then he never returned until evening, prompting his wife to search for him the following day in the morning where she was told that her husband had burnt himself to death.

The matter was reported to Luchenza police station and autopsy conducted at Mangunda Health Facility revealed that death was due to third degree burns.

Meanwhile police in the region are advising relations of the psychiatric patients to continuously monitor them in order to avoid similar incidents.