So. Cal. tug-of-war turns gruesome for two

Updated 3:25 p.m. ET

SOUTH EL MONTE, Calif. A teenage boy and girl are in stable condition after they had fingers torn off during a game of tug-of-war at their Southern California high school, CBS Los Angeles reports.

The school superintendent doctors tried to reattach the fingers belonging to two South El Monte High School students last night, but it is unclear if they were successful.

Sheriff's Sgt. Jorge Marchena told The Associated Press the girl lost three fingers on one hand and two on another, while the boy lost four fingers from one hand.

The victims were identified by classmates as Edith Rodriguez and Pablo Ocegueda, both under 18, according to CBS Los Angeles. They were participating in a tug-of-war game during homecoming celebrations when their fingers were severed.

"They wrapped the rope around their hands and somehow the rope when on to snap, I guess it created some extra tension and caused the injuries," Los Angeles County Fire Inspector Brian Riley told KNX 1070.

Students "cheered at first because they thought it was funny that the rope broke, but then they realized what really happened," freshman Allene Garcia said.

Similar injuries have occurred elsewhere.

In 2008, an 8-year-old girl nearly lost four fingers when her hand got tangled in a rope during a tug-of-war in Fergus Falls, Minnesota. The fingers remained attached by tendons and were reattached.

In 2007, two students at a high school in Parker, Colorado, had their right hands partially severed during a tug-of-war at a pep rally.

In 1997, two men had their left arms torn off when a rope snapped during a tug-of-war in Taiwan that involved some 1,600 participants. Doctors managed to reattach the limbs.