Vicious piranhas kill four swimmers, wound 20 in CHILLING series of attacks
A series of vicious piranha attacks in Paraguay has claimed the lives of four swimmers and wounded nearly 20 more. On January 2, a 22-year-old man died after being brutally attacked while swimming in the Paraguay river in Itá Enramada, south of the capital Asuncion.
His relatives noticed him vanish from sight and alerted the authorities, prompting a 45-minute search before his badly mauled body was discovered. A 49-year-old man was also slain in the Paraguay River near Puerto Rosario, his corpse discovered with bite wounds after he went missing. The forensic report claimed that the man was most likely attacked by piranhas who targeted his face.
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La Nacion has reported that two persons were killed in the Tebicuary River, Villa Florida, in Misiones, and their bodies were discovered with piranha bites. The attacks come after recent cases of piranha attacks in Argentina, including an adolescent girl who had her toe bitten off.
In a separate occurrence, a man had his feet bitten off by a piranha on the Parana River. The man's feet had the tip bitten off, and his son's heel had a piece ripped off, both leaving large wounds. There have also been several complaints of swimmers getting bitten, with more than seven being recorded on the beach at the Bella Vista swimming club in Itapua on New Year's Day alone. A manager at the club, Adrian Cardoza, said they're looking at putting chemicals in the water to keep the piranhas away.
Piranhas can hide behind floating vegetation in rivers before attacking people, according to Argentinian biologist Julio Javier Capli while he added that the killer fish are mainly present in the Parana and Paraguay rivers. They are more likely to attack during the mating season, but also during hot weather when river levels are low, according to him. Piranhas usually travel in groups, and male piranhas are the ones who attack to defend their young. The bites are usually done underwater, and the predator does not jump as shown in various horror movies. Residents have been advised to avoid bathing in rivers during the breeding season, especially in regions with floating vegetation, where piranhas may be defending their eggs and offspring.