28 collapse at Colombian school 'after playing with ouija boards'
Dozens of girls collapse at Colombian school ‘after playing with ouija boards’
- 28 schoolgirls were taken to hospital with anxiety after using Ouija boards
- Parents warn each other to investigate what is happening at the school
Dozens of girls have been hospitalised after playing with Ouija boards at school in Colombia.
The students were rushed to hospital having lost consciousness at school, reported to have ‘anxiety’ after using the boards, known also as spirit boards, which are used to ‘contact the dead’.
The school’s directors and concerned teachers went with the students to hospital, where they are awaiting an update on their condition.
One mother, who worked at the hospital, urged parents to act and investigate what was happening at the school after the news broke.
Image shows one of the students who reportedly became unwell after using a Ouija board
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.
‘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.
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 Galeras Educational Institution in Colombia where 28 students were rushed to hospital
In November 2022, 11 teenagers were found collapsed after using a Ouija board at another school in Colombia.
Five, aged between 13 and 17, were taken to hospital with vomiting, abdominal pain and muscle spasms.
It was later reported they had suffered from food poisoning.
The mayor of Hato town said: ‘It is not ruled out that it was the Ouija board, that is part of the investigation.
‘Others say that they consumed water from a container, others that they came from a pool and had been given something to eat.’
It was later reported all the students had been drinking water from the same glass.
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