Eel tears through colon and keeps swimming: Fisherman's belly hosts live eel

A 55-year-old fisherman from Bangladesh was rushed to emergency surgery after a live eel entered his body during fishing, causing a severe tear in his colon. Doctors extracted a live 65 cm eel from his abdomen. The patient recovered and was discharged after four days.

A 55-year-old fisherman from Bangladesh narrowly escaped death after a live eel entered his body during fishing, causing a severe tear in his colon and requiring emergency surgery. The patient delayed seeking medical treatment out of embarrassment, a decision that nearly cost him his life. At the hospital, X-rays and scans revealed air in the abdominal cavity and an abnormal shadow. In the operating room, surgeons discovered a 5 cm hole in the colon and pulled out a live, wriggling eel measuring 65 cm. The fisherman underwent a colostomy, recovered successfully, and was discharged after four days. The case was documented in the International Journal of Surgery Case Reports, and doctors emphasized that live animal penetration of the intestine is an extremely rare event. The only previous case occurred in Hong Kong in 2004, when a man intentionally inserted an eel into his body.