Satanic possession or hysterical teenage behavior is believed to be the cause for a huge panic attack at the Moruga Composite School on the island of Trinidad on November 10.

According to the Trinidad and Tobago Guardian, 17 female students fell mysteriously ill and began rolling on the ground, hissing and babbling in a strange tongue, after suffering bouts of nausea and headaches. Two of the students reportedly tried to throw themselves off a railing and had to be physically restrained, triggering fears of a possible demon attack.

One student witness, Kern Mollineau said he got worried when the girls' eyes began rolling up in their heads and they began beating the ground with their fists.

With the assistance of several other students and teachers, the pupils were taken to the multi-purpose hall where some of them fell into a semi-conscious state. Mollineau said, "One girl was blabbering as if in a strange language. I could not understand what she was saying. It was sounding like 'shebbaberbebeb shhhhee.' The girls were unusually strong. We had to hold them down so that they will not hurt themselves. I was kicked in my face when one of the girls started beating on the floor. Many of them had bruises."

Mollineau claimed he actually communicated with the 'devil which had possessed the girl.' "I asked the Devil what he wanted with the girls and the voice said he wanted a life. He kept saying to send the girls in the toilet and to leave them alone." Roman Catholic priests, as well as pastors from nearby churches, including Josephine Charles, Deborah Charles and Pastor Gordon, visited the school and began showering the children with holy water and prayers. Six ambulances arrived at the school accompanied by police and firefighters. Assistant Divisional Fire Officer Ramdeo Boodoo conducted several tests on the surroundings to determine the cause of the problem.

Boodoo said there was nothing in the environment to trigger fainting spells, nausea and headaches. All 17 girls were taken to the Princes Town Health Facility where they were medically examined and found to be otherwise healthy.

Trinidad and Tobago Guardian