A teacher at a Malaysian school where some 40 students have behaved bizarrely over several months claimed today that the children are possessed by spirits.

The students, aged between seven and 12, have complained of headaches, giddiness and vomiting before making tiger-like noises and even biting, the teacher told dpa.

“When we speak to them, they demand things. But you cannot trust these spirits,” the teacher said, who asked to remain unnamed.

Local media reported the strange behaviour of students at the Pasoh 3 primary school in Negri Sembilan, adding that teachers were also affected.

Some students claimed they saw a witch or a spectre roaming the school area, the reports said.

State education director Rusni Ab Jalil told the New Straits Times that the school has resorted to alternative treatments by Islamic practitioners to address the issue at the school.

There were similar incidents previously at three Malaysian schools which reported mass hysteria in April.

American sociologist Robert Bartholomew told local media at the time that it was a psychological phenomenon caused by stress and anxiety and was coupled with Malaysians believing in the supernatural.

- dpa