Couple dies in Malaysia after grilling and eating poisonous fish for lunch

An elderly couple died in Malaysia after eating and frying poisonous puffer fish for lunch.

Ng Chuan Sing and his wife Lim Siew Guan, both in their early 80s, accidentally bought at least two poisonous puffer fish online on March 25, according to authorities in southern Johor state.

Mrs. Guan, 83, developed “difficulty breathing and chills” the same day she cooked the puffer fish, while her husband showed similar symptoms an hour after eating it.

Sadly, after both were taken to the intensive care unit, Ms Guan was pronounced dead at 7pm local time, CNN reports.

Her husband, Mr. Sing, 84, went into a coma for eight days before he died on Saturday morning after his condition worsened.

Mrs. Guan, 83, had “difficulty breathing and chills” the same day she fried the puffer fish, while her husband showed similar symptoms an hour after eating it

The couple’s daughter, Ng Ai Lee, accepted responsibility for the death of her parents when she held a press conference outside her home on Sunday before her funeral.

“Those responsible for her death must be held accountable by law and I hope the authorities will speed up the investigation,” she said.

“I also hope that the Malaysian government will step up enforcement and help raise public awareness of puffer fish poisoning to prevent such incidents from happening again.”

Currently, Malaysian laws prohibit vendors from selling poisonous foods such as puffer fish meat, and those caught doing so face fines of up to – or jail terms of up to two years.

Ms Lee also revealed how her father inquired 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 mother. We told him that she was resting at home.

“We didn’t tell him the truth because we were afraid he wouldn’t be able to handle it, but we felt he knew my mother was dead. He cried.’

The older couple’s daughter, Ng Ai Lee (pictured), called for responsibility for her parents’ death and for stricter rules

Ms Lee also revealed how her father (pictured) inquired about his wife’s well-being shortly before his death

She added that he appeared to have recovered and was even transferred to a regular ward on Thursday, but after asking again about his wife, he is believed to have died yesterday of a pulmonary embolism, a blood clot in an artery that causes cutting off the Blood Flow from the blocked lungs.

Pufferfish, known as “fugu” in Japan, is still eaten in high-end restaurants in Tokyo, despite the serious risks involved.

Fugu cooks are said to undergo extensive training of up to three years before they are allowed to prepare the puffer fish for eating.

Parts of the fish’s organs, skin, blood and bones contain tetrodotoxin – a deadly toxin that can cause terrible symptoms before it dies.