Two dozen women collapse unconscious during exorcism to rid ‘evil spirit or genie’ from Pakistan garment factory
- - 24 workers fell unconscious at the Landhi factory in Karachi
- - Employees were taken to Jinnah hospital and said they were possessed
- - An initial gas leak was ruled out and doctors say it was due to mass hysteria
By EMMA THOMAS
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Women collapsed at a factory in Karachi after an exorcism to get rid of 'evil spirits' in their workplace.
24 workers fell unconscious as the owners of the Landhi garments factory tried to get rid of a 'genie' they believed was haunting the building.
'The factory seemed to be overtaken by a genie or evil spirit as many of my co-workers have experienced mysterious incidents in the past,' claimed Farzana Naseem, who arrived with an unconscious colleague in an ambulance.
One of the women is helped on to an ambulance after falling unconscious during the exorcism
Karachi: The workers collapsed at the Landhi garment factory, Karachi. It is thought they were overcome by mass hysteria
'A spiritualist was called to this morning by the factory owners to get rid of the suspected "jinns" but as soon as he began reciting different verses, the workers began falling unconscious while others ran out shouting and screaming for help.'
Emergency services were called to the Casual Sports Wear factory, in Landhi Export Processing Zone, to take the employees to Jinnah hospital.
The rescue workers say there was no supernatural presence in the building and the staff's illness was down to a gas leak which caused the workers to faint.
Hysteria: An exorcist had been called in to rid the building of 'evil spirits' but doctors ruled out any supernatural influence at the factory
However, doctors and psychiatrists, who treated the patients, refuted the claims of a gas leak, the Express Tribune reported.
They say some of the workers developed a temporary neurological condition, most likely out of fear of the exorcism, leading to a mass hysteria.
'I do not believe the workers were possessed,' said Dr Seemin Jamali, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre deputy executive director, 'But this hysteric influence might have played out as a ripple effect.'
There was chaos in the hospital as patients insisted they were possessed.
But the doctors and paramedics carried out medical examinations and found all the vitals of the workers were sound, including a normal oxygen levels.
Dr Jamali blamed the rescue workers for the commotion.
'These workers, mostly uneducated and uninformed about medical conditions, caused a ruckus at the hospital based on their assessment of a poisonous gas,' she said.
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