Saudi Arabia: Girl drowns after healer's advice to dip in sea

Cairo: A sick girl living in Saudi Arabia’s northern region of Tabuk died of drowning after an alleged religious healer had advised her to dip in the sea purportedly to get treated from an un-specified illness, Saudi media reported.

The victim, an Arab national, had approached a man alleging to be a religious healer, but he turned out to be a charlatan.

The alleged healer, aged 85, used to claim he has powers to expel genies from possessed bodies.

In response to the latest incident, authorities in Tabuk have referred the case to the provincial prosecutors to investigate it.

The girl’s body will be handed over to her father who declined to comment.

The girl’s drowning occurred while the treatment session was being conducted off Duba governorate in Tabuk.

It all started after the father of the sick girl sought treatment for her from a self-styled religious healer, who recommended dipping her in the sea waters purportedly to dispel the genie from her body.

Unfortunately, the girl, whose age was not given, drowned before anyone could save her.

The healer was arrested and the victim’s body will be handed over to her father for burial after the end of investigations, the report said.

The healer, blamed for the girl’s death, had previously brought a camel suffering from blindness to the sea coast and sprayed the animal with water, saying he smelt a genie, the report cited eye-witnesses.

There was no immediate comment from authorities.