Dozens of girls have been hospitalised after collapsing while playing with Ouija boards at a school in Colombia, Daily Mail reports.
The students were rushed to hospital after having lost consciousness with ‘anxiety’ after using the boards, known also as spirit boards, which are used to ‘contact the dead’.
Ouija boards were invented by spiritualists in the United States in 1886.
Commercial versions followed in 1890 and have remained popular ever since.
They are believed by some to be a way to communicate with the dead.
Numbers and letters are arranged on the boards, allowing a ‘spirit’ to spell out a message for the living by moving a sliding ‘planchette’ over the engravings.
The school’s directors and concerned teachers went with the students to the hospital, where they are awaiting an update on their condition.
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One mother, who worked at the hospital, urged parents to act and investigate what was happening at the school after the news broke.
Hugo Torres, head of the Galeras Educational Institution in Pasto, southern Colombia, said: ‘There were 28 possible cases of anxiety in school students.
‘Given the reported cases, a series of comments were unleashed on the community that, rather than helping to resolve the situation, led to confusion and an adverse environment for our work.
‘For this reason, INEGA is allowed to report that the students were referred to the local municipal hospital according to protocols in place.
‘Directors and teachers accompanied the students during the evaluation process.
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‘The respective parents and/or guardians were informed of the situation at the time.’
The school is waiting for the medical reports before providing an update on the incident.
Torres also pointed out that the first two hospitalised students have underlying medical conditions.
He clarified: ‘The school is waiting for the medical diagnoses to provide further reliable information.
‘The educational institute also respectfully asks citizens to refrain from making early judgements and diagnoses of their own.’
Many parents believe the children have been using Ouija boards in class.
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.’
It is unclear when the school plans to give an update on the students’ medical diagnoses.
Meanwhile, the local authorities have yet to confirm whether a police investigation is underway.
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