Meal of puffer fish eggs kills two fishermen, sends third to hospital
Two Myanmar workers were killed, and another became seriously ill, after eating fried puffer fish eggs aboard a Thai fishing boat.
The men caught a large puffer fish in the sea off Nakhon Si Thammarat on Thursday afternoon and insisted on eating the eggs despite the captain’s warning not to do so.
Following the deaths of the two workers, the captain rushed the Krasae sin 31 boat to Krasaesin fishing pier in Ban Lak Daeng village in Tambon Sichon of Nakhon Si Thammarat’s Sichon district at 8 pm.
Captain Wirat Sriwiwat, 62, said the two workers, Chit, 22 and Tan, 29, died in their quarters. Sugi, 34, was declared safe after being rushed to the Sichon hospital.
Wirat said five Myanmar fishing crew members on his boat caught a large puffer fish at 1pm.
He had warned them not to eat the fish, he said, but Chit cut the fish to dry it and fried its eggs.
Wirat said two other workers heeded his advice not to eat the eggs but the remaining three would not listen to him.
Wirat said Tan, who ate the most of the eggs, died first about 30 minutes after eating the eggs. Chit died shortly after. Sugi, who ate a smaller amount, survived.