Dozens of children were sprinkled with holy water and rushed to the hospital after reportedly playing with an Ouija board at school.
Teachers and family members had to help the 36 children at San Francisco de Asís School in Timbiquí, Colombia. Reports say the children were admitted to a local hospital for treatment for a number of concerning symptoms, including fainting, temporary loss of sight and anxiety.
Before they left the school, rector Emilio Balanta sprinkled holy water onto the group and was heard muttering a prayer.
He said: “It is a very unusual phenomenon which occurred. A girl started to struggle so the others grabbed her so she wouldn’t hit herself, then another girl started to have the same problem. There are 36 students, they are children of all ages.
“That is what is believed, it was a diabolical situation. There is no explanation for what happened, there is none.
"Some say it’s because of the Ouija board and others because of an online challenge they found on the internet. They are the two versions, but no one has verified it yet.”
The rector added most of the youngsters have since recovered since the scary incident earlier this month.
He added: “We had to take them all to hospital, but they are now around 90% recovered. Some still have certain symptoms, but nothing major.”
An investigation into the incident is ongoing.
Amarildo Correa, education secretary for Cauca Department, called for parents and teachers to be more vigilant around children.
He said: “We are asking parents, administrators and teachers to be aware around students so we can prevent these types of events from happening again.”
In Colombia in March this year, 28 schoolgirls were hospitalised after using a Ouija board at school and losing consciousness.
The school’s directors and teachers accompanied the students to hospital.
Hugo Torres, head of the Galeras Educational Institution in Galeras, Sucre Department, said at the time: “There were 28 possible cases of anxiety in school students.
“The respective parents and/or guardians were informed of the situation at the time.”
One mother complained: “I work here in a hospital kiosk and every day I see three or four children arrive after fainting. Parents, you have to move, investigate what’s happening at school, because our children cannot continue in this situation.
“Our children always have a good breakfast and it cannot be said that what’s happening is due to lack of food.”
At the time a police officer who retired to work as an exorcist suggested the reason 28 girls fell ill in Colombia is because they opened a "doorway to evil" while playing with an Ouija board.
Chris DeFlorio, a former NYPD cop, travels the US performing exorcisms with his wife Harmony and claims to rid homes and individuals of evil spirits .
Currently, there are five documented cases occurring at multiple schools in the country after the use of Ouija boards by teens, and potentially more incidents that are not documented.
“For example, one previous incident mentions a teen girl standing up, speaking a strange language, and hitting her brother with a stick.”
