Fishing in Brazil is not an easy game. There are all sorts of air, land, and underwater creatures that could come at you from all different directions. That’s what happened to this 30-year-old man who set off on a boat with his two friends in the municipality of Brasilandia de Minas in Minas Gerais.
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Fishing gone wrong
Estado de Minas reported that the three friends were fishing at a farm lake when suddenly they were engulfed by a swarm of bees. To escape their stings, they decided to jump into the surrounding water. Two of the friends managed to swim out of the lake unharmed, but the third man never showed up.
Firefighters were called to the scene to retrieve the lost man, but they too were unable to enter after they were made aware that piranhas roamed the waters. On 31 October, the body was finally found and sources from the local fire department confirmed that the man drowned after jumping off the boat, and then got attacked by piranhas. According to Tech Unwrapped, one of the firefighters said that the carnivorous fish had 'disfigured' half of his face and several parts of his body.
About piranhas
Piranhas dominate freshwater environments in South America, and there could be anywhere between 40 to 60 different species that are thriving. But contrary to what the media would have you believe, piranha attacks on humans are rather rare. Berkshire Museum states that the supposed ‘man-eating’ animals actually prefer to eat things that are smaller than them. They explain:
Piranhas eat smaller fish and nips of other fish’s tails, bugs and worms, crustaceans and carrion (dead meat).
While piranhas have a reputation for being ferocious man-eaters, they rarely attack and hardly ever kill humans.
Red-bellied piranhas are the most aggressive and have been known to bite humans in the dry season, when food may be scarce, but these attacks are usually not fatal.
