Man dies after eating butete he mistook for tilapia

A 68-year-old man died from eating butete or puffer fish while 14 people became ill after eating salted eggs in separate incidents in Pangasinan province over the Undas (All Saints' and All Souls' Days) weekend.

In the first incident, the victim died Sunday after eating butete in Barangay Sapang in Sta. Barbara town last Friday, GMA Dagupan reported Tuesday.

The elderly man's relatives said he cooked and ate the puffer fish, which he mistook as tilapia.

 

"Pinakamahirap dun yung kinain yung butete, pinakamahirap na ikontrol," said Pangasinan Provincial Hospital head Dr. Policarpio Manuel.

 

His relatives said he seemed fine until Saturday, when he complained of stomach pains. 

 

Meanwhile, the City Health Office of San Carlos City is now investigating a possible food poisoning case, where 14 people got sick after eating salted egg last Friday.

 

"Yun ang sinasabi ko, importanteng malaman kasi natin yung inatake, ingestion at yung appearance ng sintomas para ma-identify natin yung possible organism na involved, kung yung salted egg nga may problema," said city health officer Edwin Guinto.

 

For now, the 14 have been discharged from the hospital. Still, health officers are making the rounds of markets to check who was selling salted eggs.

 

In the meantime, they advised the public not to buy salted eggs while the probe is ongoing. —Joel Locsin/NB, GMA News