Kenyan vigilantes have killed six teenagers suspected of crimes including rape and robbery near Nakuru, north-west of Kenya's capital, Nairobi

BBC News:

Police said villagers rounded up the youths, who were playing cards, beat them and then set their bodies on fire.

"They were ambushed, then killed and their bodies doused with petrol," Rift Valley provincial police commander Everette Wasike told AFP news agency.

A mother watched as her son writhed in flames before dying, a paper reported.

Another bereaved mother told Kenya's Daily Nation newspaper that she had never imagined that her son could be a criminal.

"I have never known my son to be a thief because at no time has he ever stolen from me," said Lucy Nduta.

"But if he was in the company of such robbers, then I cannot defend him."

Vigilante action is commonplace in Kenya, with the police often criticised for being corrupt and ineffective in solving crimes.

No arrests have been reported. The police say they are still investigating.

Kenya: Villagers Hack to Death, Set Ablaze Six Youths