Fish kills sergeant in freak attack
published : 14 Dec 2018 at 08:39
writer: Gary Boyle
The chief petty officer who bled to death after a fish cut his throat during training with the navy on Wednesday was the victim of a very rare attack by a 'barred long tom' fish.
Experts said CPO2 Kriengsak "Best" Pengphinit was attacked by the fish, known in Thai as Pla Kratoong Haew Bang. Barred long tom are also known as needlefish, barred needle fish and flat needlefish.
"The attack is unusual because the barred long tom fish hardly attacks humans," said fishery expert Lakkana Leecha of the Royal Fishery Department (RFD) on Thursday.
She described it as the fastest fish in the world.
"These fish usually travel with their school and often hunt near the sea surface. This fish must have gotten lost and panicked," she added.
On Wednesday afternoon, Master Sergeant Kriengsak, 23, bled to death after being attacked in the throat by a fish with a long sword-like beak during naval training in Trat province.
This case is the first recorded instance of an attack by the barred long tom in Thailand.
Learn from listening
Vocabulary
- hardly (adv.): seldom - แทบจะไม่, ไม่ค่อยจะ
- instance: a case in which something happened - กรณี, เหตุการณ์, สถานการณ์ 5.
- needle: a very thin, pointed piece of steel used on the end of a syringe for putting a drug into somebody's body, or for taking blood out of it - เข็ม(ฉีดยา)
- panicked (verb): became anxious about something; feeling or showing panic - ตื่นตกใจ, ตกใจ
- school of fish: a group of fish in the sea or river -
- sword: a weapon with a short handle and a long sharp blade - ดาบ
- throat: the area at the back of your mouth and inside your neck - ช่องคอ
- unusual (adj): different from what is usual or normal - ผิดปกติ
- Keywords
- fish
- barred long
- barred long tom
- long tom
