Four Haiti children die after being treated by witch doctor

Four children from the same family tortured to death in Haiti by a witch doctor who claimed to be able to cure them of a mysterious illness, an official has said.

According to Wilfrid Brisson, an official from the town of Marbial, the children – three boys and a girl ranging from seven to 15 months old, "suffered abuse from the healer who was treating them. They were then abandoned in their mother's bed," he said.

Neighbours saidd that, the sorcerer – who was assisted by his brother –persuaded the victims' mother that the children were possessed by a demon and said he could rid their soul of the devil.

The witch doctor and his brother beat the children repeatedly, in steps they said were necessary to expel the demon, and the youngsters died from the blows, said Mr Brisson

The alleged killers are on the run. An investigation by authorities in Marbial is under way and the children's mother is in custody.