JAKARTA, 21 July 2004 - A family of five died and nine others were sickened in Indonesia after eating parts of a puffer fish during a communal cookout, police said Wednesday. Soon after consuming the fish on the island of Flores, the five - including a 9-year-old boy, his father and grandfather - began vomiting and died on the scene, according to Sgt. Dewo of the East Flores police department.
The nine others passed out but recovered later at a local hospital, he said. "Those who died ate the innards of the fish while the others only ate the meat,'' Dewo said. Flores is located about 1,800 kilometers (1,100 miles) east of Jakarta. Dozens of people have died across Southeast Asia in recent years after consuming puffer fish, which contains deadly toxins in its skin, blood, liver, kidney and intestines.
If the fish is not handled properly when cooked, toxins in it can paralyze a person and cause heart failure. Thailand banned the sale of puffer fish, and its byproducts, in 2003 saying they were a health risk.
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