A 51-year-old Filipino woman, an influencer known for eating unusual foods, died after consuming the "devil crab," a highly poisonous sea creature, while filming content for social media.
On 12 February 2026, local Philippine media reported that Emma Amit, a 51-year-old food influencer from Puerto Princesa city, Palawan province, died after eating a poisonous sea creature called the "devil crab" to record a social media video.
Reports stated that on 4 February, Amit and her friends went to collect shellfish and sea creatures from a nearby mangrove forest to cook. In the video, they placed the sea creatures into a pot to boil and season, before she picked up the poisonous crab and shellfish to bite and show to her followers on TikTok and Facebook.
The next day, she became seriously ill from the crab's poison. Neighbors said that while being taken to a local clinic, she experienced convulsions and her condition worsened, leading to transfer to a hospital. Reports noted her lips turned a dark bluish color as she lost consciousness. Despite doctors' full efforts, she died on 6 February, two days after eating the poisonous sea creature.
Laddi Jermang, the village head of Luzviminda, sent officials to inspect the deceased's home and found the bright-colored devil crab shells discarded in the trash. According to the Smithsonian Institution, the devil crab is a marine animal found along coral reefs in the Indo-Pacific region and contains several powerful neurotoxins, including saxitoxin and tetrodotoxin—the same toxins found in pufferfish.
Following the incident, Philippine authorities issued warnings urging the public to exercise greater caution when consuming wild seafood, especially species whose edibility is uncertain.
Source: The Sun