We’ve seen people shedding tears of blood before, but this 12-year-old Yemeni girl’s problem is truly baffling. When Saadiya Saleh cries, her eyes release small, hard stones. They form under her eyelids and get pushed to the front of her eyes, emerging as tears.

Doctors are unable to explain the strange phenomenon because Saadiya isn’t suffering from any known disease. Yemen’s satellite TV channel, Azal, aired a video that shows stones forming in her eyes. She is surrounded by family members and doctors, while a helper wipes her eyes with a napkin. The footage also reveals a small box full of stones that collected from Saadiya’s eyes in a few hours.

Photo: YouTube caption

Even as medics are struggling to treat Saadiya, her condition has triggered panic in her village. According to the local presenter, “This case is the second strange phenomenon in the region. Some say the girl could be gripped by a magic spell while others say it might be the devil. Others fear it could be the start of a dangerous epidemic.”

Tears of stone – now that has got to hurt. And if the poor girl cries from the pain, there’s just going to be more stones. Ouch!