More than 20 girls fainted at a Kompong Cham provincial high school Wednesday, according to the school’s deputy principal, who cited as its cause a collective hysteria among the students at watching each other collapse.
The 23 pupils from grades 10 to 12 at Kang Meas district’s Hun Sen Peam Chikang high school were rushed to the hospital after fainting in quick succession, deputy principal Sean Sophal said.
“The students that fainted are all girls and they all had the same symptoms,” said Mr. Sophal. “The students continued to faint because they felt so scared when they witnessed other students fainting.”
The incident comes after five girls fainted at the school on Tuesday, and two others fainted last week.
District health bureau chief Bouth Toum said he agreed with Mr. Sophal’s diagnosis.
“It’s not related to bad environment or food poisoning, but it’s related to the student’s feelings,” Mr. Toum said.
He added that all the students are now recovering and some had already returned home.
The school has closed for the remainder of the week.
