Carnivorous Fish Attacked Over 70 Swimmers in Argentina on Christmas Day
It seems beachgoers in Argentina had a truly terrifying Christmas Day in 2013 when they found their brief bit of respite gatecrashed by some particularly aggressive seafood. Over 70 people were injured in a palometa attack that took place in the Argentine city of Rosario. For those of us not well versed in the varieties of carnivorous fresh-water fish, palometas are a type of piranha. Yes, piranha – those deceptively small but inarguably vicious fish with a taste for meat (and stars of the B-horror movies of the same name).
Swimmers seemed to have been aware that the Parana River was known to be home to schools of piranha, but were willing to risk it in the face of triple-digit temperatures. Unfortunately it was a gamble that quickly backfired. People enjoying the cool water were suddenly besieged by hordes of the hungry creatures as they mercilessly attacked. Although nobody expects a piranha attack to be pleasant, witnesses were shocked by the sheer brutality of the small animals.
“There were some people that the fish literally had torn bits of flesh from.”
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“There were some people that the fish literally had torn bits of flesh from,” medical official Gustavo Centurion said in a statement to the Latin Times. While small (usually between 8 and 18 inches long), what piranhas lack in size they more than make up in berserker violence. By the time the victims had managed to escape, many were suffering serious bite injuries. Of those attacked, 20 were children, seven of which ended up losing fingers and toes to the hungry fish.
Despite their reputation, piranha attacks in the area are exceedingly rare. Experts aren’t sure what caused the fish to strike the swimmers on such a large scale. Some are blaming the heat, saying the unusually high temperatures spurred the piranhas on. Others have suggested that local fisherman are responsible, and that the animals were attracted to the bait left out for other, less aggressive sea life. Whatever the cause, the size and violence of the attack has left people unnerved.
Rare but Brutal Piranha Attack
While piranha attacks in the area are uncommon, unusually high temperatures and bait in the water may have triggered this exceptional event, injuring dozens.
“This is not normal,” director of emergency services for the city of Rosario Federico Cornier told Al Jazeera News. “It’s normal for there to be an isolated bite or injury, but the magnitude in this case was great. This is an exceptional event.”
Exceptional or not, the attack didn’t dampen swimmers’ enthusiasm for long. Although the beaches were closed following the onslaught, the temperatures remained stiflingly high, and soon people were once again in the river — risking life and limb for the chance to cool off.
[Pic via Flickr - Marcelo Jorge Vieira]
