Tragedy struck in Mzimba District as four boys have been burnt to death by wildfire at Kanjuchi when they went hunting in Mbulumbudzu hills in the district.

The boys, who have been identified as Shaban Nkhoma 11, James Mbewe 15, Denis Mbewe 11 and Misheck Lingison 13 went missing on September 18, 2024 after knocking off from school and the parent thought they had gone hunting as usual.

Jenda Police spokesperson MacFarlane Mseteka reported that efforts were made to locate the boys, but they were only found on Thursday night, tragically burned to death in the forest alongside the dog they had taken with them.

A medical report confirmed that the boys died due to severe burns, with suspicions that they accidentally started the fire themselves but were unable to escape once it spread out of control.

Three of the boys were from the same family, while the fourth was from a different household.