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An 11-year-old boy was rescued after being buried alive by his uncle in the Peruvian jungle in what authorities describe as an act of witchcraft. The incident occurred in January in the Asháninka community of Chequitavo, Ucayali region, where Rubén Sabino Oviriano, grieving the death of his mother from tuberculosis, was allegedly convinced that his nephew was responsible for her death, according to local officials.
After attending a healer, Sabino Oviriano took the boy to assist with burying his grandmother. He then bound the child's hands and feet and placed him in a bag before interring him alive. Community members from the Gran Pajonal patrol, who were familiar with the burial, heard the child’s gasps for help and uncovered him just in time, as he was struggling to breathe.
Following the rescue, local authorities filed a formal complaint against Sabino Oviriano for attempted homicide. The Ministry of Women and Vulnerable Populations is providing care to the boy and emphasizes the importance of child protection in the community.