A woman in south west China's Sichuan province has died after taking part in an exorcism on February 27.

Her family had hired two 'witch doctors' to help rid her of an undisclosed illness, the People's Daily Online reports.

Police are now investigating the details behind the woman's death.

Evil spirits: A woman in Sichuan province was steamed to death during an exorcism in Sichuan province

According to a villager surnamed Liu, the woman had suffered from an unidentified illness for years and had often been heard crying out in pain.

Liu says on February 27, he heard people crying and went to discover what was going on.

He claims that he found two witch doctors who had been hired by the woman's family at the scene.

The woman was sealed into a large barrel, which was then being heated by the vat of boiling water underneath.

When the local villagers told them to stop, the two 'doctors' replied that the screams were not in fact coming from the woman, they were from the devil.

Steamed to death: Two witch doctors were hired by the woman's family to rid her of evil spirits

They said they needed to continue to drive the ghost away.

Villagers took no notice and helped to free the woman.

When they managed to release her from the barrel, they discovered that her face had turned black and she was unable to stand.

People immediately went looking for medical help while others helped take her into the house.

However shortly after the rescue attempt, the woman died.