2 die from eating 'butete' fish in Cebu

A 39-year-old fisherman and his eight-year-old son died while his wife and another child were hospitalized after they ate a dish made from puffer fish (butete) in Cebu. The incident happened in Batigues village in Bantayan town in Cebu, radio dzBB's Cebu affiliate reported Wednesday morning. Bantayan police chief Senior Inspector Florindo Fajardo identified the fatalities as Peter Cordova, 39; and his son Peter Paul, 8. Fajardo said Cordova's wife Eva and another child, who was not immediately named, were in stable condition as of Wednesday. Peter and his family prepared the fish shortly after he caught a one-kilo puffer fish, despite local folks' warnings the fish is poisonous. Initial investigation showed that shortly after the meal, members of the family complained of dizziness and stomach pains, and vomited. They were rushed to the Bantayan District Hospital where the elder Cordova died. The younger Cordova died a few hours later. — LBG, GMA News