A man trying to hold a tilapia fish in his mouth ended up swallowing it and dying from suffocation at a village in Bugasong, Antique province last Sunday, Coconuts Manila reported.
In a telephone interview, police in Bugasong told Coconuts that Roger Marcelino, 49, of Sitio Dam, Barangay Tagudtud South was declared dead on arrival at the local Medicare hospital.
Bugasong is about 65 kilometers, or an hour and 40 minutes, away from San Jose de Buenavista, Antique’s capital.
Marcelino was fishing at the Paliwan River beside his home with his 11-year-old son and, as was his habit, put one tilapia in his mouth while he tried to catch more fish, his wife explained.
The wife, who was not named in the Coconuts report, added that Roger must have accidentally swallowed the writhing, live fish. His son did not see the event unfold as he was in a different part of the river, she added.
Mrs. Marcelino only found out about it when Roger got out of the water and ran into their home, asking for help as he could not breathe with the fish stuck in his throat. The family tried but was unable to dislodge the tilapia, the report added.
With the cellphone signal weak by the Paliwan River, police explained it took a while for rescue workers to arrive at the Marcelino home. When they did, Roger had already passed out.
An ambulance brought Marcelino to the Bugasong Medicare hospital about two kilometers away from their home but was declared dead on arrival.