More than 140 mourners at a funeral in northern Thailand are reported to have been taken ill after eating a dish that appears to have contained pufferfish.  

The mourners started vomiting and complained of numb tongues and shortness of breath and were rushed to hospital after being served soup containing fish balls bought at a local market in Nan province, the Bangkok Post reports.

Doctors said the symptoms were consistent with pufferfish poisoning, which can be fatal.  

The fish contains a poison known as Tetrodotoxin, which paralyses the diner's muscles. There is no known antidote.  

The fish is prized as a delicacy in Japan - known as fugu - and chefs are specially trained to prepare it safely.   

Pacific
Bikini Atoll tourism director unsure of Air Marshall Islands 
The tourism director for Bikini Atoll says he is sceptical about the reliability of the Air Marshall Islands despite its services resuming after mechanical faults grounded two of its aircraft. 

The airline conducted a successful test flight of its 34-seat Dash-8 aircraft after its services were halted more than six months ago. 

Air Marshall Islands is now under pressure to get its other aircraft, a 19-seat German-made Dornier 228, back into service. 

But the manager of the Bikini Atoll scuba diving operation Jack Niedenthal says he’s sceptical because his company’s reputation has taken a hit since the grounding of the aeroplanes. 

He says his company relies on aeroplanes to transport customers. 

“There’s no other way to do this kind of business,” said Niedenthal. “You have to understand that in Bikini, the operation we have up there, we do relatively deep diving. And the reason why you need an airplane is so that you can do medivacs if somebody gets hurt. You have to be able to have a plane to get up there and get the person off.”