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Malaysian Shaman Performs Ritual for Missing Plane

<p>"The purpose of the rituals is to weaken the bad spirits so that the rescuers can find the plane if it indeed had crashed," Malaysian shaman Ibrahim Mat Zin said.</p>
Image: Mat Zin, a local well-known shaman, performs a ritual to help find the missing Malaysia Airlines jet at Kuala Lumpur International Airport
Ibrahim Mat Zin (back right), a local well-known shaman, performs a ritual to help find the missing Malaysia Airlines plane at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Wednesday.DAMIR SAGOLJ / Reuters

Carrying a pair of coconuts, a "magical" walking stick and some Zamzam water, a popular Malaysian shaman performed a ceremony that he hoped would help locate the missing Boeing 777.

Ibrahim Mat Zin, who calls himself Raja Bomoh Sedunia Nujum VIP, conducted the symbolic rituals alongside several assistants Wednesday at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

Image: Mat Zin, a local well-known shaman, holds two coconuts as he performs a ritual to help finding missing Malaysia Airlines jet at Kuala Lumpur International Airport
Ibrahim Mat Zin, a local well-known "bomoh" (the Malay term for a shaman), holds two coconuts as he performs a ritual to help finding the missing Malaysia Airlines plane at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Wednesday.DAMIR SAGOLJ / Reuters

"The purpose of the rituals is to weaken the bad spirits so that the rescuers can find the plane if it indeed has crashed," Ibrahim told reporters, according to the Malaysia Star newspaper. He added that the rituals had been used for many generations.

He did not explain why he needed the coconuts or the other assortment of goods.

According to Islamic belief, Zamzam water is miraculously generated from God at a well in the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

Ibrahim's attempt to locate the Malaysia Airlines jet using bamboo binoculars and a fish-trap hook was unsuccessful on Monday.