Nearly 30 school girls have been hospitalised due to fainting and anxiety attacks after experimenting with Ouija boards at their school.
The girls attend the Galeras Educational Institution in Galeras, Columbia, and were allegedly playing with the Ouija boards in school.
It is unknown if the Ouija boards were being used in a lesson or whether the girls were using them during their break.
Invented in the late 1800s and popular in the 1980s and 1990s, Ouija boards, also known as talking boards or seance boards work by using a slider pointer to spell out messages. They are believed by some to be a way to communicate with the dead.
28 possible causes of anxiety
According to the NY Post, the girls started to experience signs of anxiety including fainting and other symptoms during school. The girls were all admitted to a municipal hospital. Their parents were all notified.
“There were 28 possible cases of anxiety in school students,” said Hugo Torres, head of the Galeras Educational Institution in Galeras.
“The school is waiting for the medical diagnoses to provide further reliable information.”
Parents are outraged over the incident, blaming the school for allowing children to use Ouija boards.
“I work here in a hospital kiosk and every day I see three or four children arrive after fainting,” one parent 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.”
While the details of the girls’ official medical diagnoses has not been made public, Mr Torres has spoken out, requesting that the community remain calm and avoid stoking hysteria.
“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.”
While the details surrounding the use of Ouija boards in the school is unclear, it would appear that Ouija boards may be part of the school curriculum in Columbia. In November 2022, 11 students between the ages of 13 and 17 were found passed out in the corridors of another school in Columbia.
The students attended Agricultura Technical Institute in Hato, Columbia. The teens were suffering from violent vomiting, abdominal pain, and muscle spasms after using a Ouija board during school.
However, it was later reported that the students may have been experiencing food poisoning or had drunk contaminated water.
More to come.
Ouija board-related crimes
Most of us probably remember using a Ouija board during a sleepover when we were younger. Many people believe it’s all just a game while others believe it is an accurate way to communicate with the dead. There have been several chilling stories surrounding the Ouija board including several crimes.
In 2012, a teenage boy from Texas, stabbed his friend in the abdomen, claiming that, “The Ouija board made me.” At the time, a police spokesman said, “He actually believed what the Ouija board advised him.” The teen pled insanity.
In 2014, a man named Paul Carroll used a Ouija board to try and summon the dead. He believed an evil spirit entered the family dog so he killed the dog and dumped the body in an outside drain, resulting in a backup. When workers were brought in to address the issue, they discovered the dog’s body, and an investigation led back to Carroll, who pleaded guilty.
A week later, the Ouija board apparently told Carroll’s wife and stepdaughter that they were going to die. Concluding it was preordained, they attempted suicide by setting their house on fire. Both survived, but they were later arrested and convicted on arson charges. You can read more about Ouija-related crimes here.
