“Cops fear a mass suicide after more than 100 doomsday cult members in Brazil barricaded themselves inside a house to await “the end of the world”. Leader and self-proclaimed prophet Luis Pereira dos Santos, has convinced his followers the apocalypse will happen today at 8pm GMT (4pm local time).

They are preparing to kill themselves by drinking soup laced with rat poison, authorities believe. Santos – known to his flock as Daddy Luis – claims an angel visited him four years ago telling him the exact time the world was going to end. Last month the 43-year-old cult leader instructed his 113 followers to leave their jobs, give away all their possessions and take their children out of school. The group have since been holed up inside a ten-bedroomed house, which they call The Ark, on the outskirts of Teresina, the capital of Brazil’s north-eastern state, Piaui.

Fifty military policemen forced their way in and removed 19 babies and children after receiving “credible” information that the group were planning to kill themselves by drinking poison.    A “significant quantity” of rat poison was found at the residence during the operation, which met little resistance from the cult members, a police spokesman said. Apocalypse group leader Santos said he didn’t fear the police, denying that the group were planning to drink poison.” (The Sun)