A 72-year-old nun from Co Laois has been killed in a machete attack on churchgoers on the Caribbean island of St Lucia. Sister Teresa Egan, from Clonaslee, was serving communion at the church in the island's capital of Castries on Sunday when up to five men burst in and began attacking the 400 worshippers.
Sister Egan, who had been a teacher on the island for 30 years, was hacked with machetes and doused with petrol.
As the congregation fled, they were doused with kerosene and one attacker used a blow-torch.
One eye-witness described it as "like a scene from hell", with flames engulfing parts of the church.
Another Irish nun, Sister Mel Kenny, from Clonmacnoise, Co Offaly, was slightly injured. Both belong to the St Joseph of Cluny order. Local police said the attack was carried out by a group of Rastafarians, who appeared to have had a "religious" motive.
Sister Egan will be buried in St Lucia on Saturday.