A Filipino food vlogger, known for posting content related to fishing with her husband and cooking the catch for their kids, has died in the wake of posting a viral video of herself eating a toxic “devil crab,” believed to be the Philippines’ most poisonous crab.
Emma Amit, 51, was hospitalised last week after eating the crab and died just two days later, according to a translation of local outlet ABS-CBN.
The clip, which was posted on Facebook on Feb 4 but is no longer available, showed Amit hunting crab and shellfish near her home in Puerto Princesa, Palawan, People reported. She then filmed herself cooking and eating one of the crabs she’d caught.
Barangay Chief Laddy Gemang told ABS-CBN that Amit’s family was unaware of the toxic nature of the creature, which is poisonous even after it’s cooked. Amit lost consciousness and was rushed to the hospital shortly after consuming the crab, but died last Friday (Feb 6).
A friend of Amit’s was also hospitalised and treated after eating the crab, which triggered drooling and numbness – one of many dangerous symptoms attributed to consuming Zosimus aeneus crab, known locally as “devil crab,” “killer crab” and “toxic reef crab.”
“It is really dangerous to eat this type of crab because it only takes a moment for the person who eats it to die,” Gemang said.
Amit’s death marks the third in the district from the “really deadly” creature. Nearly five years earlier, the consumption of the crab led to the deaths of two young children and the hospitalisation of their father, according to Filipino outlet Inquirer.
Devil crab poisoning can result in symptoms including but not limited to numbness of the tongue or around the mouth, vomiting, drooling, dizziness, blurred vision, trouble speaking or swallowing, or even paralysis leading to unconsciousness or death.
Those experiencing symptoms of such poisoning are advised to seek immediate medical attention, according to the Philippines’ Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR). – New York Daily News/Tribune News Service
