Children drowned in 'bigamy revenge'

A woman in Tanzania has killed all her offspring after learning that her husband had married another woman.

Police said the woman, Dotto Malimi, reacted to the news by drowning the four children, including her 15-month-old baby named Happiness.

After killing them, Mrs Malimi confronted her husband with the body of the baby.

She is now in custody awaiting infanticide charges, a police spokesman said.

Floating

According to police commander Eliah Kihengu of Mwanza region, the tragedy began on Monday morning when Mrs Malimi's husband went home with another woman who he introduced as his second wife.

Correspondents say polygamy is a widespread practice in Tanzania.

Mr Kihengu told the AFP news agency that Mrs Malimi had then taken the four children - aged between 15 months and 11 years of age - to Lake Victoria at Chamsaga, a remote lakeshore village in northern Tanzania.

The policeman said that after killing them, the woman took the body of little Happiness home and told her husband that the rest of the children were to be found in the lake.

Villagers went there afterwards to find the bodies floating, said Mr Kihengu.