Tourist impaled in neck by foot-long needlefish while swimming in Thailand in freak attack
AN unlucky tourist was left in a serious condition after a foot-long needlefish impaled him in the neck while he was swimming in Thailand.
Gruesome pictures show the man lying in a hospital bed with the pointy fish sticking out of him by its snout.
At the time, he was apparently swimming with friends at Ao Tan Khu beach in the southeastern Thai region of Trat, famous for its white sands and coral reefs wedged between the Gulf of Thailand and Cambodia.
The freak accident took place on Thursday at around 1pm local time, the reports.
Eyewitnesses claim they heard the victim, Noppadol Sringam, screaming for help from the water before a passerby swam out and dragged him to shore.
He was then given first aid before being rushed to Trat Hospital.
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Needlefish are commonly found in shallow coastal seas and can make short jumps out of the water, local official Suchart Jitmungmanotham said.
Also known as 'long toms', they are found in oceans around the world and are known to leap out of the water.
However, Sringam's neck piercing was unusual, as this is the first time one has been seen in Ao Tan Khu, a resort popular with tourists.
Suchart urged visitors to take extra caution while swimming in the area and said officers will be provided to ensure their safety.
Trat's governor Chamnanwit Terat also said he had contacted local officials to ask for more details about the incident.
Although needlefish attacks are rare, they have been known to impale humans before after leaping out of the water.
Only three people are known to have died directly from the fish.
In 1977, a 10-year-old boy in Hawaii died when a needlefish pierced his eye while out fishing with his dad.
A 16-year-old Vietnamese boy was killed in similar circumstances in 2007.
WHAT ARE NEEDLEFISH?
The freaky-looking fish have been responsible for several grisly deaths and injuries
Needlefish are known for their distinctive long, narrow jaws filled with sharp teeth which they use to catch smaller fish.
They swim near the surface and are capable of making short leaps out of the water at up to 40 mph.
They often jump over boats rather than swim around them - meaning some fishermen rate them more dangerous than sharks.
There have been several recorded deaths caused by needlefish and many other gory injuries.
In 1977, a ten-year-old Hawaiian boy died when a needlefish pierced his eye while on a nighttime fishing trip with his dad.
In 2013, a young Saudi man bled to death after being hit by a needlefish on the left side of his neck.
In 2018, Thai navy cadet Kriangsak Pengpanich, 22, was killed when he was speared during a training exercise.
While in 2020 a teenager in Indonesia was lucky to survive after a needlefish impaled his neck and pierced the back of his skull while he was fishing.
While in December 2018, a Thai navy cadet was speared in the neck by a needlefish during a training exercise, also in the Trat region of Thailand.
Kriangsak Pengpanich, 22, later died of his injuries after his underwater torch is believed to have spooked the three-foot fish.
It swam directly at him, reaching speeds of up to 40mph, before stabbing the young soldier.
The bodies of both Kriangsak and the fish were found by soldiers a few moments after the death floating on the surface of the water.
Blood was found around the long needle-shaped mouth of the fish.
Kriangsak's body was taken ashore where paramedics performed CPR, but he was pronounced dead at the nearby Laem Ngop Hospital.
In a similar incident in 2020, a young angler was lucky to survive after a fish leapt out of the water and impaled his neck while he was fishing in southern Indonesia.
Muhammad Idul, 16, was fishing with his mum and dad near his home in Sulawesi when the sea creature darted into his neck, piercing the back of his skull.
Miraculously, he was able to make it home, with the fish still embedded in him, before being rushed to hospital to have it removed.
Local media reported that the needlefish shot toward Muhammad at such speed that it knocked him off his boat.
He was able to swim to the surface before somehow walking home.
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Staff at a nearby hospital in the city of Baubau didn't want to remove the fish because the surgery would need specialist equipment.
The teenager was therefore transferred to another hospital in the city of Makassar, where doctors operated for over an hour to save his life.