The Souza family from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, were given the fish by a family friend. But just moments after taking their first bite, they began to throw up and lose feeling in their face, arms and legs.

Cristiane Souza described the moment the family realised something was seriously wrong.

10-YEAR-OLD BOY DIES OF SPIDER BITE

‘My husband was the first to say he couldn’t feel his tongue, then his face, and then his arms. Then his legs went dead and he couldn’t stand up any more. It was terrifying.’

‘My brother-in-law was the same. He didn’t even make it out the door. We had to carry them out and rush them to hospital in the car.’

The deadly pufferfish contains a toxin 1,200 times more lethal than cyanide, and one drop of this poison can kill in under 24 hours.

In Japan the fish is considered a delicacy, but only chefs who have undertaken special training for three years are permitted to prepare the fish.

There is no cure for the poison at present, which paralyses the body and eventually suffocates the person while they are still awake.

CANCER PATIENT SURVIVES 17 DAYS IN AUSTRALIAN BUSH

Doctors only comeback is to quickly empty the patient’s stomach and give them charcoal to attempt to bind the toxin.

The Souza family are now praying that their 11 family members recover from the incident, though they remain in a critical condition.