Superstitious villagers hold ghost-catching ceremony 'to put wandering souls to rest'

Superstitious villagers held a ghost-catching ceremony which they claimed would put wandering souls to rest.

Footage shows paramedics from rescue teams appearing to chase around invisible spectres on the streets of Trang province, Thailand, on August 25.

The event began at the spiritually significant time of 9:09 pm, with a ceremony to summon the spirits of those who had died in flash floods and drownings. Shamans then led a procession to catch ghosts killed in traffic accidents.

New clothes were burned for the rescued spirits to then wear as they cross over to the afterlife.

Locals said the ritual was performed to save tormented earthbound spirits unable to find peace.

The rescue team covered around 18.6 miles (30 kilometres) performing the seven-hour ceremony. They claimed they freed a record 7,293 souls - the highest in three years.

In the afternoon, more than 1,000 bags of rice and food were distributed to residents to make merit for the deceased.

More than 1,000 struggling residents queued up to receive the rations, and an addition 1,500 more bags were distributed due to high demand.

The ceremony is held every year on the 22nd day of the waxing moon of the seventh Chinese lunar month.

Locals believe that this year, the 'gate of the underworld' is open from August to September, allowing all punished spirits to receive merit in the human world for a month before returning to serve out their eternal sentence.

Villagers were advised to avoid staying outdoors late at night during this period, when accidents were said to likely happen.