SUPERSTITIOUS parents desperate to “cure” their kids of disabilities buried them alive in mud and goat POO.
Bizarre video from India shows terrified youngsters up to their necks in the smelly gunk during a rare annular solar eclipse, when the Moon turned the Sun into a spectacular “ring of fire”.
15 A scared toddler screams out as he’s buried alive during the rare solar eclipseCredit: Mediadrumimages/ShamantakMani
15 Distraught children were trapped in the smelly gunk despite the searing heatCredit: Mediadrumimages/ShamantakMani
15 A thin outer ring of the Sun was visible during the rare eventCredit: AFP or licensors
15 A school boy uses solar filter glasses to view the ‘ring of fire’ solar eclipse at a school in Mumbai on December 26Credit: AFP or licensors
Skywatchers across the Middle East and Asia watched the spectacular phenomenon on December 26.
But in the Indian village of Taj-Sultanpur, superstitious parents buried their children in pits during the rare annular eclipse, when a thin outer ring of the Sun is visible as it forms a “ring of fire” around the Moon.
Residents said all the entombed children were disabled and their parents believed that by burying them during the eclipse, they would be “cured”.
The crying youngsters, aged from three years, were buried neck-deep in mud containing goat poo, reported the Deccan Herald.
One girl’s dad said: “We have followed what our elders have told us, as medical treatment has not helped, [so] we decided to try this.
“We don’t know whether it will cure our child or not, but wanted to give it a try.”
The publication said that children were “seen struggling to endure the heat generated from the manure”.
15 The moon moves in front of the sun in a rare ‘ring of fire’ solar eclipseCredit: AFP or licensors
15 An older village resident was also buried in the dung and mudCredit: Mediadrumimages/ShamantakMani
15 Officials were eventually called to the distressing scene, to free the kidsCredit: Mediadrumimages/ShamantakMani
15 Another child buried to ‘cure’ him of his disabilityCredit: Mediadrumimages/ShamantakMani
15 The kids were taken to the rural site, where they were buried in mud and goat dungCredit: Mediadrumimages/ShamantakMani
When cops and district officials were alerted to the kids’ plight, they rushed to the burial ground and freed them from their earthen prisons.
Official sources identified at least three children – Puja Khemaling, five, three-year-old Sanjana Suryakanth and 11-year-old Kaveri Mallappa – as victims of the cruel practice.
Reports suggested that at least three more kids had also been buried alive as part of the obscure tradition.
After being rescued, their parents were warned against performing any similar rituals in future.
Child Welfare Committee chairman Reena D’Souza said all the children would get appropriate medical attention.
On Boxing Day, skywatchers in Saudi Arabia as well as southern India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia looked upwards as the Sun formed a ring of fire around the Moon.
In Banda Aceh, Indonesia, thousands of people cheered and clapped as the Sun transformed into a dark orb for more than two minutes, briefly plunging the sky into darkness.
Hundreds of others prayed at nearby mosques.
15 The moon moves in front of the sun during the start of a rare ‘ring of fire’ solar eclipse in Jakarta, IndonesiaCredit: AFP or licensors
15 There was also a spectacular view of the event from Wan Twin in central Myanmar on December 26Credit: Ye Aung THU
15 In Pakistan, kids observe the solar eclipse through a foot X-ray in IslamabadCredit: AFP or licensors
15 A boy uses solar filter glasses to watch the moon covering the sun in the south Indian city of Dindigul in Tamil Nadu stateCredit: AFP or licensors
15 School students use DIY solar eclipse viewing equipment at a school in Mumbai, IndiaCredit: AFP or licensors
