A man who was the victim of an attack by piranha fish in the South American Amazon Basin, has said the animals were so ferocious, and the attack so sustained, he felt he was literally being "eaten alive".
Ernesto Sanchez was on a camping trip in a quiet tributary of the river with three friends, when he went down to the water's edge to wash some pots and pans. Within seconds, he was in trouble.
A shoal of piranhas were in the vicinity, and engulfed the pot-washer, who screamed to alert his friends.
His friends hesitated, and, watched as the fish tore away at Ernesto's arms, legs, and torso. When they finally reached the place where Ernesto had been, all that was left was his head, bobbing about in the water.
Despite their fearsome reputation, piranhas rarely bite humans, but this attack shows that you should never believe random, vague statements like this one.
Speaking later from his hospital pillow, Ernesto said:
"Fortunately, my friends got me out just in the nick of time. I can't imagine what would've happened, if I'd been alone. It doesn't bear thinking about."
