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A teenage girl was allegedly brutally raped by a group of men and then had her eyes gouged out by her sister - all as part of a terrifying exorcism ritual.

The girl, who is just 16, is now fighting for her life in hospital after the horrific ordeal.

Her family said they had believed she was possessed by the devil, and were seeking to save her.

At the end of the exorcism, the teenager was pinned down as her elder sister cut both her eyes out, it is alleged.

(Image: CEN)

The horrific attack happened in the town of General Pinedo, in the north Argentine province of Chaco.

Police have arrested the older sister, who claims the local pastor ordered her to remove her siblings’s eyes in order to help drive out the evil things her sister was seeing.

The older girl said the devil was gaining access to her sister through her visions, and it was believed that because demons are terrified of pain, the act would drive out the devil.

It is understood officers are about to arrest a group of men suspected of taking part in the bizarre ritual and alleged rape.

(Image: CEN)

The victim has been in the intensive care unit of the Perrando de Resistencia hospital where she was transferred to be treated for her terrible injuries.

Police commissioner Pablo Almiron said that the parents of the girl also believed she was possessed by the devil, and said she kept seeing animals like goats that were not there, and they had asked the evangelic centre and its pastor to help them "cure her".

He said: "It is the first time in 22 years of my career in the police to have an event of this nature.

"The prosecutor has also said that it is the first time in his life. It is very difficult to explain that something like this could happen to a teenager."

The older sister claimed that the religious centre, who provided her with a sharp knife, said that she must be the person to remove the eyes of her sister in order to cure her.