They are asking for international aid in the form of expert forensic pathologists. They sang for a few hours. One witness said that they doused themselves with gasoline and set themselves ablaze. Some witnesses reported the smell of gasoline at the scene, an explosion that preceded the fire, and some screams from inside the building. Fox News reported that the sect's leaders included three excommunicated priests and two excommunicated nuns.
Some sources say that the members wore white, green and black robes.
The Associated Press said that their women wore white veils while men wore black, green or red shirts. Before the tragedy, Kibweteere allegedly had said that he overheard a conversation between Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary. Mary had stated that the world would come to an end unless humans started to follow the Ten Commandments closely. During 1999, members had sold their possessions, presumably in preparation for the end times when they would be transported to heaven. They slaughtered cattle and had a week-long feast.