Vietnamese exorcist beats 'possessed' women unconscious

By Le Phuong   November 16, 2017 | 10:56 pm PT
'He told everyone to stay out of his business and broke several rods.'

Two sisters have been left in a critical condition after being repeatedly beaten by an 'exorcist' in Binh Duong Province who claimed he was trying to cast out demons.

The family invited the exorcist to their home on November 14 to treat a 47-year-old woman who had been shrieking and gibbering for almost a month, claiming it was her dead grandparents speaking through her.

The exorcist beat her with a mulberry rod for an hour until she fell unconscious, the family said. The following day, believing the demons had moved to the younger sister, he performed the same violent ritual on her. 

Both sisters were sent to Ho Chi Minh City's largest public hospital covered in bruises and unconscious.

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The older sister covered in bruises lying at Cho Ray Hospital. Photo by VnExpress/Le Phuong

Doctor Vu Dzuy from Cho Ray Hospital said the older had suffered from respiratory failure, while the younger sister's kidney had failed.

"He told everyone to stay out of his business and broke several rods while beating them," the husband of the younger sister told VnExpress. "He has been succesful with some of our neighbors and we thought he'd only pray and use amulets." 

Doctor Dzuy told VnExpress it's not uncommon to see superstitious patients hospitalized.

Over 70 percent of Vietnamese people are either atheists or follow folk religions, according to statistics provided by the UN in 2014. 

 
 
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