A couple dies hours after frying and eating poisonous puffer fish for lunch in Malaysia
- Ng Chuan Seng and his wife, Lim Siew Gwan, had ‘breathing difficulties’
- Mrs. Joan died on the same day, while her husband fell into a coma for eight days
- Their daughter has called for accountability and tougher regulations in Malaysia
An elderly couple died just hours after frying and eating poisonous puffer fish for lunch in Malaysia.
Eng Chuan Seng and his wife Lim Siew Gwan, who were both in their early 80s, inadvertently bought at least two venomous puffer fish online on March 25, according to authorities in the southern state of Johor.
Mrs. Juan, aged 83, began having ‘difficulty breathing and shivering’ the same day she had fried the puffer fish, while her husband began exhibiting similar symptoms an hour after the meal.
Tragically, after they were both transferred to intensive care, Mrs. Joanne was pronounced dead at 7pm local time, CNN reports.
Her husband, Mr Singh, 84, fell into a coma for eight days before passing away on Saturday morning after his condition deteriorated.
Ing Chuan Seng (right) and his wife Lim Siew Gwan (left) were killed after eating poisonous puffer fish for lunch.
Ms. Joanne, aged 83, began experiencing ‘breathing difficulties and shivering’ the same day she had fried the puffer fish (file photo), while her husband began exhibiting similar symptoms an hour after the meal.
The couple’s daughter, Ng Ai Lee, demanded accountability for her parents’ death while holding a press conference outside their home on Sunday before their funeral.
“Those responsible for their deaths must be held accountable under the law and I hope the authorities will speed up investigations,” she said.
“I also hope that the Malaysian government will strengthen enforcement and help raise public awareness of blowfish poisoning to prevent such incidents from happening again.”
Currently, Malaysian laws prohibit sellers from selling toxic foods such as blower fish meat, and those caught doing so face fines of up to – or risk up to two years in prison.
Ms. Lee also revealed how her father asked about his wife’s well-being shortly before his death.
“My father woke up from an eight-day coma,” she said. The first person he asked about was my mom. We told him she was resting at home.
We didn’t tell him the truth because we were worried he couldn’t handle it but we had the feeling that he knew my mother had died. He mourned.’
The elderly couple’s daughter, Ng Aye Lee (pictured), has called for accountability for her parents’ deaths and for tougher regulations
Ms. Lee also revealed how her father (pictured) asked about his wife’s well-being shortly before his death
She added that he appeared to have recovered and was transferred to a regular ward on Thursday, but after asking about his wife again, he died yesterday, reportedly of a pulmonary embolism, a blood clot in an artery blocking blood flow to the lung.
Pufferfish, known as “fugu” in Japan, is still enjoyed in high-end restaurants in Tokyo despite the extreme risks.
Fugu chefs are supposed to undergo extensive training for up to three years before they are allowed to prepare puffer fish for food.
Parts of the fish’s organs, skin, blood and bones contain tetrodotoxin – a deadly poison that can cause horrific symptoms before death.
