A dried puffer fish sells P2,000 in Zamboanga City. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)
ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Sept. 6, 2012) – Two fishermen died after eating a puffer fish meal in the southern Filipino port city of Zamboanga, police said Thursday.
It said Rodrigo Pioquinto, 53, and Randy Algodon, 32, complained of severe stomach pains and vomiting when neighbors rushed them to hospital, but doctors failed to save the duo.
Their relatives said the men were having a drinking spree at a house of a friend in Patalon village when another companion brought the fish and cooked them.
Puffer fish is considered a delicacy in Japan and its menu commands a high price, but extreme care is needed in the cleaning and the preparation of the thorny fish because it is also highly poisonous. (Mindanao Examiner. Ely Dumaboc)
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