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X-ray of a Brazilian boy with sewing needles inside him - Source: ONE News
Up to 50 metal sewing needles have been found inside a two-year-old Brazilian boy who complained of pain.
They are up to five centimetres long and doctors say he couldn't have swallowed them as X-rays revealed they are in his neck, torso and legs.
Police are investigating whether they were deliberately inserted inside the boy by his stepfather as part of a black magic ritual.
The boy lives with his mother and stepfather, and his father says he has seen items associated with black magic at their house.
Surgeons hope to remove most of the needles except those in vital organs or close to them.
The toddler, who can't be named because of his age, remained in intensive care in a Brazilian hospital where he was admitted several days ago by his mother after vomiting and complaining of stomach pain.
Although Brazil is a largely Catholic country, superstition and animist cults do still exist, mainly in the poorer northern regions.
