A large group of schoolgirls have been hospitalised after they fainted and “lost consciousness” using a Ouija board, it has been reported. The girls were on school grounds when using the Ouija board. Teachers and other school staff became concerned when the girls showed anxiety and “other symptoms”.
Hugo Torres, the head of the Galeras Educational Institution in Galeras, Colombia, gave a video address to parents of the girls after they were taken to hospital.
He said they were still waiting for updates from doctors.
A mother of one of the girls urged other parents to come together to try and establish what had happened to their children.
She said: “Our children always have a good breakfast and it cannot be said that what’s happening is due to lack of food.”
Mr Torres said in his statement: “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.
“The educational institute also respectfully asks citizens to refrain from making early judgements and diagnoses of their own.”
It is not known whether the school will release an update on the girls’ diagnoses. It is also unclear whether there will be a police investigation.
One mother, who works at the hospital, said she saw three children of the four faint upon arrival.
She said: “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.”
Jose Pablo Toloza Rondón, a local mayor, added: “The children were passed out, at the time they were found they were short of breath and thick drool was coming out of their mouths.
“Others say that they consumed water from a container, others that they came from a pool and had been given something to eat.”