Three-Inch Fish Allegedly Found Alive...in Boy's Lung

Little boys are known to swallow a myriad of items. As you may recall, they are in fact full of rats and snails and puppy dog tails. But a new item can be added to the list for one 12-year-old Indian boy.

Inquisitr reports Anil Barela in India's Khargone district was playing a game that involved catching a live fish and swallowing it. Just as a sip of water can go down the wrong pipe, so did this fish. Allegedly, it went into Barela's lungs, requiring a surgical operation for removal. According to reports, when doctors went in to retrieve the 9 cm (3.5 inch) fish, it was still alive and kicking:

According to Dr. Pramod Jhawar, the operation lasted a total of 45 minutes while they removed the fish from the lung.

The doctor also stated that “the fish was alive and taking its last breath when the bronchoscopy was done.”

This video of the brochoscopy apparently shows the fish flopping (Note: language is in Hindi):

The fish is reported to have died shortly after being removed.

The Times of India reports Jhawar saying this is the first time he has seen a case like this in his 20 years practicing medicine.

If you don't think you can inhale items such as this, USA Today reported a couple years ago that items such as a belly button ring, a fish bone, beans and a thumbtack have been found in lungs before. What do you think of this "lung fish" story? A bit fishy?

[H/T io9]

This story has been update to include other items found in lungs before.