A family from a village in Rakhine State’s Gwa Township died yesterday after consuming some globefish — also known as pufferfish — 7Day reports.
The father, 30, was a fisherman — a popular profession in Gwa, which is primarily a fishing town — and had brought home his catch for that day, which included a pufferfish. He and his 25-year-old wife then prepared the fish’s intestines and ate them, also feeding them to their 5-year-old daughter.
According to a neighbor, the family began to feel dizzy shortly afterwards, so some neighbors took them to the hospital. The father died en route, and the daughter passed away at the hospital not long after. The mother managed to tell authorities what had happened before eventually passing away as well.
An officer from the Gwa Police Station told 7Day that authorities are examining the bodies.
Tetrodotoxin, a toxin that is found in almost all pufferfish, is up to 1200 times more poisonous than cyanide. In Japan, chefs must obtain a license to prepare and serve the dish to the public. One Gwa resident noted that most people in Rakhine know not to eat globefish, although some who don’t unfortunately do consume the toxic fish.
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