An outbreak of pneumonic and bubonic plague has forced evacuation of nearly 80 Mormon missionaries from the southeastern African island nation of Madagascar.
LDS Church officials stressed Thursday that the evacuation was precautionary, and that none of the missionaries had shown signs of the deadly disease.
“Missionaries serving on the island of Madagascar are in the process of being transferred out of this area or temporarily reassigned to other missions,” the church stated.
The evacuation involved only missionaries on the main island, not those serving on the islands of Mauritius and Reunion, which administratively are also within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ Madagascar Antananarivo Mission.