1/11/10

just a reminder that anything can happen

Freak jellyfish mishap:

SYDNEY - A SAILOR had an unlucky encounter with a deadly irukandji jellyfish in Australia's northern waters after the tiny marine animal somehow hit him as he fished off a bulk carrier, officials said on Monday.

The Central Queensland Helicopter Rescue Service said it was not known whether the man reeled in the jellyfish, which is the size of a small fingernail, or whether it was splashed on to him by a freak wave.

'He was splashed in the face but I don't know that it was in that water,' a spokesman for the rescue service told AFP. 'It could have been something he reeled in.'

The man, who was an hour's flight away from the Queensland coast when he was stung, was fishing from the deck of the carrier about 25 metres above the water level when he was stung by the extremely venomous creature.

'Realistically, what are the chances of being stung by a jellyfish when you are safely on board a bulk carrier 25 metres above the water. It's really incredible,' said Geoff Abrahams, an air crewman on the rescue.

The man was taken to a Queensland hospital but survived his encounter with with one of Australia's most deadly marine stingers. There's no anti-venom for the irukandji's sting and the pain may not be immediately felt, by which time symptoms have set in, including shooting muscle pain, vomiting, a rapid rise in blood pressure and occasionally heart failure.

6 comments:

Peter said...

Howdy AP :D
I gotta hot story for ya. Something you might sink your teeth into.

Jewish Tycoon killed in copter crash

A. Peasant said...

haha, thank you! good eye. i found an interesting version:

http://editorseye.com/WordPress/2010/01/11/not-well-liked/

notice that in the globes version they report that the witnesses said the helicopter "burst into flames while still in the air," *and*, the accident was caused by teh foggy weather.

so maybe the fog causes helicopters to burst into flames midair??? whoo knew?!!

A. Peasant said...

so it sounds like he might have been whacked...

Peter said...

whacked?

ya think?

:O

nobody said...

Nevermind that Jewish fellow, up until know I've been advising travellers to avoid North Queensland beaches unless they have a 25m ladder with them. And now not even that's safe! I hope none of them went to the beach, spent all day 25m off the ground only to die anyway. I'll be having nightmares over that one.

And what does it all mean? That now we can't visit the beach without taking a thirty metre ladder? Body searches at the airport and now this at the beaches. There's no end to it!

A. Peasant said...

peter, um yeah ; D, safe to say...

nobs, hahaha, i have decided to view the story as an allegory for we blogger types.

legal mumbo jumbo

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