A school in Malaysia was forced to close after sightings of a mysterious "black figure" sparked a suspected outbreak of "mass hysteria".

The panic began last Monday when several students and teachers in the city of Kota Bharu said they had seen a "black figure" in the school.

Sightings continued to be reported for the next two days, with about 100 people affected by what they believed were supernatural experiences.

The school was shut on Thursday while Islamic traditional experts, scholars and even witch doctors were called in to carry out prayer sessions and "exorcisms".