Carnivorous Fish Attack Bathers in a River on Christmas Day

At least 60 people were injured in the Argentine city of Rosario when they were attacked by a swarm of piranha fish, officials said.

The attack happened off the popular beaches of the Parana River, 300km north of Buenos Aires, on Wednesday, a medical official said on Thursday.

Director of lifeguards Federico Cornier said today that thousands of bathers were cooling off from 100-degree temperatures in the Parana River in Rosario yesterday when bathers suddenly began complaining of bite marks on their hands and feet. He blamed the attack on palometas, “a type of piranha, big, voracious and with sharp teeth that can really bite.”

Paramedic Alberto Manino said some children he treated lost entire digits. He told the Todo Noticias channel that city beaches were closed, but it was so hot that within a half-hour, many people went back to the water.