Three die after eating crab

Three men in southern Vietnam (越南) died after eating a toxic (有毒的)horseshoe crab and 16 people were hospitalized after handling it, an official said. Thach Hoc, 27, died immediately after eating the 500-gram crab, while his two neighbors, Thach Lan, 42, and Phan VanKich,41, died on the way to hospital in Long Vinh, village chief Thang Minh Tien said.The men ate a kind of horseshoe crab, Tien said, adding that it was sent to a laboratory for testing to determine whether it was naturally poisonous or had become contaminated(污染) or infected. The three victims were struck with vomiting, tight chests, convulsions and paralysis immediately after eating the crab, he said. Sixteen other villagers were hospitalized with tight chests and numb tongues after handling the creature and failing to wash their hands, Tien said. All were later released.