Five members of South Africa’s International Pentecostal Holiness Church were killed as an internal power struggle erupted in violence Saturday morning, according to BBC reports.
An unspecified number of assailants stormed the church, located just outside Johannesburg, taking men, women and children hostage. Four members of the church were shot and then burned in a car.
The fifth casualty was a security guard who reportedly tried to stop the attack.
More than 40 people were arrested by South African Police Service (SAPS), including members of SAPS itself, along with members of the South African National Defence Force, the Johannesburg Metro Police Department and the Department of Correctional Services.
Police confiscated five rifles, 16 shotguns and 13 pistols, along with other weapons after the rescue.
The three-million member church has been in conflict since its former leader died in 2016.