An unnamed 18-year-old has bled to death in northeastern Bolivia following a piranha attack.
The death follows the boy’s drunken jump from a canoe in Rosario del Yata, 400 miles north of Bolivian capital La Paz. He was killed last Thursday, but news of the event has only just emerged from a local radio station.
The boy was known to be a fisherman of the area, with experience and knowledge of the Yata river. There is speculation by police at this time that the event may have been suicidal.
Daniel Cayaya, a police officer of the region, reports that the teenager bled to death following the attack.
The attack of piranha on humans is rare, despite popular myths and rumours. Numerous videos and other footage shows explorers and anglers wading among the fish untouched.
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