Teen Dies After Prized Fish Stuck in Throat

Yahoo ^ | 8/19/2003 | Reuters

[US admirer]

PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - A Cambodian teenager died of suffocation after a fish he caught jumped out of his hands and lodged in his throat, newspapers reported on Tuesday.

Lim Vanthan, 17, and his family were planting rice at the weekend near their home on the outskirts of the impoverished Southeast Asian nation's capital, when they decided to go for a swim.

During his dip, Lim Vanthan caught a prized eight-inch fish, called kantrob in Cambodian, with his hands.

But the high school student's excitement was short-lived when his catch squirmed out of his hands and jumped into his mouth, where it became stuck because of barbs running down its back.

He died of suffocation before he could receive treatment at a local clinic, the newspapers said.

"This is an accident, but it shows we must all be careful," concluded the Khmer-language Rasmei Kampuchea (Light of Cambodia) newspaper. "Accidents can happen at any time."

[US admirer]

I am at a loss for words.

[ClearCase_guy]

Did this really happen? Sounds fishy to me. Sometimes journalists just make stuff up and they expect us to swallow it hook, line and sinker -- well I just can't choke this one down.

[Sally II]

Oh man, the makers of the Final Destination movies could not have couldn't have made up something like this.

[rockfish59]

That's what he said!

Poor guy!

[Prince Caspian]

What can you say?... Dang.

[dfwgator]

I hate it when that happens.

[UseYourHead]

I had a few barbed comments for this but someone has already made my point.

[Protagoras]

Hold muh kantrob.

[Manic_Episode]

This is why I will never eat sushi.

[thoughtomator]

Fish caught in your throat?

[Thinkin' Gal]

Just...

[Free Trapper]

In some places it's a common practice to kill small fish with a bite to the head by putting the critters head in your mouth.

I can see this accident happening easily if this was the case.

[mhking]

Just damn.

If you want on the new list, FReepmail me. This IS a high-volume PING list...

[woofie]

Death by sushi?

[quietolong]

What’s going on here?? Revenge of the Fish??
This is the 3rd. time this has happen. In as many weeks

[dfwgator]

Accidents can happen at any time.

Accident my foot! This fish did what every fish would love to do, take a human with them. No doubt in the fish community the Kandon is being praised as a martyr.

[Joe Hadenuf]

This is an accident, but it shows we must all be careful," concluded the Khmer-language Rasmei Kampuchea (Light of Cambodia) newspaper. "Accidents can happen at any time."

Yes, we must all be careful, as we too could choke on a live fish. If people would only keep their mouths shut when holding fish, tragedies like this could be avoided.

[dfwgator]

Kandon = kantrob

[Consort]

Miss Piggy had a Frog in her throat, but she survived.

[ClearCase_guy]

Quint: Japanese submarine slammed two torpedoes into our side, chief. It was comin' back, from the island of Tinian Delady, just delivered the bomb. The Hiroshima bomb. Eleven hundred men went into the water. Vessel went down in twelve minutes. Didn't see the first Kantrob for about a half an hour ...