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Sri Lanka: 9-Year-Old Girl Dies of 'Exorcism'

Police have urged the public to be careful as the girl was not the first to die as a result of spiritual rituals - AP
Police have urged the public to be careful as the girl was not the first to die as a result of spiritual rituals - AP
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Sri Lanka: 9-Year-Old Girl Dies of 'Exorcism'

Police have urged the public to be careful as the girl was not the first to die as a result of spiritual rituals - AP
Police have urged the public to be careful as the girl was not the first to die as a result of spiritual rituals - AP

Police in Sri Lanka said Monday they have arrested a woman in connection with the death of a 9-year-old girl who was repeatedly beaten with a cane during a ritual aimed to drive away demons, the German News Agency reported.

The self-proclaimed exorcist had promised the girl to save her from evil spirits. The woman beat the little girl repeatedly for three days, the police said.

The death occurred over the weekend in Delgoda, a small town about 40 kilometers (25 miles) northeast of the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo.

The mother has also been arrested for helping the exorcist in beating her daughter.

The girl passed away on Sunday after she succumbed to her severe injuries.

According to the police, the girl was struck with at least five canes which had been broken due to excessive use.

Exorcism is still widespread in the country where people believe it helps reduce diseases or address social problems, inheritance disputes, and financial issues.

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Volcano in Philippines Spews Ash Over a Mile into the Sky 

Kanlaon is one of 24 active volcanoes in the Philippines. (AFP)
Kanlaon is one of 24 active volcanoes in the Philippines. (AFP)
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Volcano in Philippines Spews Ash Over a Mile into the Sky 

Kanlaon is one of 24 active volcanoes in the Philippines. (AFP)
Kanlaon is one of 24 active volcanoes in the Philippines. (AFP)

A volcano in the central Philippines erupted early Tuesday morning, sending a massive grey plume of ash up about three kilometers (1.8 miles) into the sky and launching ballistic projectiles.

Kanlaon Volcano, one of 24 active volcanoes in the Southeast Asian nation, has had several eruptions in the past century -- the most recent of which happened last month.

A level three alert -- out of a scale of five -- put in place during an eruption in December remained unchanged Tuesday, as officials highlighted an existing six-kilometer (four-mile) evacuation radius.

"A moderately explosive eruption occurred at the summit crater of Kanlaon Volcano at 2:55 am today (1855 GMT Monday)," the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said in a statement, adding that it lasted five minutes.

"The eruption generated a greyish voluminous plume that rose approximately 3 kilometers above the vent before drifting to the general west," it said.

"Large ballistic fragments were also observed to have been thrown around the crater within a few hundred meters and caused burning of vegetation near the volcano summit."

Stating the continued level three alert, the agency warned there were "increased chances of short-lived moderately explosive eruptions that could generate life-threatening volcanic hazards."

In August 1996, Kanlaon Volcano erupted, sending a spray of heated rocks that killed three hikers who were near the summit at the time.

The Philippines is on the seismically active region of the Pacific known as the "Ring of Fire," where more than half the world's volcanoes are located.

The most powerful volcanic explosion in the Philippines in recent years was the 1991 eruption of Pinatubo, about 100 kilometers (62 miles) from Manila, which killed more than 800 people.