Story By: Peotr Tulba, Sub-Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Central European News

This eight-year-old girl has had her finger bitten off – as seen here – after it was chomped by a pufferfish while swimming in the sea with her dad.

The incident took place near Anitli in the district of Anamur in the southern Turkish province of Mersin on the Mediterranean coast when the pufferfish reportedly bit off the girl’s ring finger on her left hand.

According to local media, the fish was a green spotted puffer (Dichotomyctere nigroviridis) which can grow up to 15 centimetres in length and have teeth that continuously grow until they cause health problems. Pufferfish are carnivorous and while this type of puffer can be kept with other fish, they tend to nip their fins.

The eight-year-old, identified as E.B.D., was on her own in the sea as her father looked on. When he heard his young daughter screaming, the dad ran into the sea to check on her which is when he saw the fish.

The unnamed father told local media: “The water was up to my daughter’s waist and when I heard her screaming, I ran to her.

“I saw my daughter’s finger stump and I looked into the water. I noticed that the pufferfish was around my feet.

“It will be very hard to get over the shock. Everyone needs to be careful, pufferfish can be very aggressive.”

The youngster told reporters: “I was swimming in the sea when I felt something on my finger, touching my hand once or twice. I pulled my hand away and the fish bit my finger.

“When I saw my finger missing, I was so scared. At that moment, my family came and took me to hospital.”

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