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Eleven members of the same family were seriously ill today after unwittingly cooking up the world’s deadliest fish for their supper.

The Souza family from Rio de Janeiro in Brazil fried and served up a puffer fish they had been given by a friend who had returned from a day’s sea fishing.

The pufferfish contains a toxin 1,200 times more lethal than cyanide, a drop of which can kill within 24 hours.

Seconds after taking their first bite all began to vomit, before losing the feeling in their face, arms and legs.

Most of the victims - which include four children aged three to five - were totally paralysed before they could reach a car that would take them to hospital, according to reports.

Cristiane Souza, whose husband Jose Augusto, 41, ate the fish, said she had called her extended family living nearby for what she thought would be a delicious fish feast on Wednesday evening.

She told Brazil’s RJ TV: “The fish looked so tasty so we invited the whole family. We fried it and everyone tucked in.

“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 terrfying.

“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 a car.”

Grandmother Maria do Carmo said: “We had no idea it was a pufferfish. They’re all in a critical condition. My grandson, my daughter, and my son-in-law, they are all in hospital. We’re praying for a miracle.

“We put the fish on the table in the yard outside and everyone dived in. They were all saying how delicious it was. I didn’t eat it because I was waiting until everyone had tried it.”

Pufferfish is considered a rare delicacy in Japan, but chefs have to undergo two years of rigorous training and be officially licensed to prepare it.