Elderly couple, Ng Chuan Sing, and his wife, Lim Siew Guan, after eating poisonous pufferfish in Malaysia
An elderly couple have died after eating poisonous pufferfish in Malaysia, causing their daughter to push for stronger laws to prevent others from suffering the same fate.
Ng Chuan Sing and his wife Lim Siew Guan, both in their early 80s, unknowingly purchased at least two pufferfish from an online vendor on March 25, according to police authorities in the southern state of Johor.
The same day Lim fried the fish for lunch and began to experience “breathing difficulties and shivers,” authorities said. An hour after eating the meal, her husband Ng also started showing similar symptoms, they added.
The couple was rushed to hospital and admitted to the intensive care unit, and Lim was pronounced dead at 7p.m. local time .
Ng fell into a coma for eight days but his condition worsened and he died on Saturday morning, April 8, said the couple’s daughter, Ng Ai Lee, who gave a press conference at the couple’s home on Sunday before their funeral.
Commonly referred to as ‘fugu’ – the Japanese term for pufferfish, pufferfish meat is enjoyed as a highly-priced delicacy despite containing deadly poison.
The fish’s organs, as well as skin, blood and bones, contain high concentrations of a deadly poison known as tetrodotoxin. Ingestion can rapidly cause tingling around the mouth and dizziness, which may be followed by convulsions, respiratory paralysis and death, medical experts say.
Ng demanded accountability for her parents’ death and for stronger laws in Malaysia, where at least 30 species of pufferfish are commonly found in surrounding waters.