Parents in Pakistan buried paralyzed children up to their necks in a muddy river bed today, believing that a total eclipse of the sun would allow them to walk.
Two paralyzed girls and a boy were buried up to their heads into the Indus River bank in the southern city of Hyderabad for 90 minutes while a spiritual leader recited from the Koran.
"Whenever there's a solar eclipse, I go to Hyderabad to help heal suffering humanity,'' said Arif Shah, who read from the Koran.
"Allah bestows powers in the paralyzed parts of handicapped people during an eclipse and certainly heals them,'' Mr Shah said.
Nadeem, the father of four-year-old Palwasha whose left side is paralyzed, said he had great hopes that his daughter's health would improve.
"I don't mind if she doesn't recover fully but if it helps her recover to a certain extent, it will be enough to make us happy,'' he said.
People in the southern province of Sindh believe the solar eclipse offers special treatment to people suffering from a variety of ailments.
"Our society believes in myths. Such methods are all based on myths and have nothing to do with medical science,'' said psychiatrist Syed Ali Wasif.
The longest solar eclipse of the 21st century plunged millions across Asia into temporary darkness today, triggering scenes of religious fervor, fear and excitement in India and China.
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