Ghost scare sparks fatal stampede

JAKARTA, Indonesia -- Ghosts are being blamed for starting a stampede at a boarding school in Indonesia in which two girls died.

The two pupils were killed and dozens of others were seriously injured in a mass panic Sunday after a woman's scream was reportedly heard rippling through the school building, the Indonesian language news Website detik.com reported.

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The incident occurred mid-way during a recital of passages from the Muslim holy book, the Koran, by about 100 students at the school in the province of East Java.

"The loud voice was heard from every direction," one girl was quoted by the Website as saying.

Trampled

Scared by what they took to be a ghost the students fled the second floor room and ran down the stairs.

Some who tripped were trampled as the panic spread.

It is unclear if any of the students claimed to have actually seen the ghost.

Police say they are investigating the circumstances which led to the girl's deaths, but are at a loss for substantive evidence.

"How can we prove something which we can't see?" local police chief H. Gufron was quoted as saying.

Despite being an overwhelmingly Muslim province, spirits and ghosts -- both malevolent and benevolent -- remain and important part of local beliefs in East Java.