Mexico: Religious group members drown during immersion

A rapid river current swept away 15 members of a religious group in Mexico, drowning at least nine, a state civil protection official said.

A total of 25 adherents of the Universal Christian Church were immersed in the Cuiztla River about 10am local time yesterday when the river rose suddenly and the swift current carried them downstream, said Oscar Gilberto Barragan, an official with the civil protection department in Jalisco state.