Man swallows metal bars

[Champ]

A man in southern Vietnam is in stable condition in hospital after an operation to remove three 17-centimetre metal bars he swallowed in a drunken challenge, a nurse said.

Hoang Ngoc Son, 22, swallowed the three metal bars - normally used in construction - after a challenge from his friend during a rice-whisky drinking session, said a nurse from the hospital in Ho Chi Minh City where the man was treated.

Son swallowed the bars in mid-May. They did not pass through his digestive system and he went to hospital on Wednesday complaining of stomach pain, said the nurse who spoke on condition of anonymity.

X-rays showed the three half-centimetre thick metal bars in Son's stomach. They were removed during a 30-minute operation, said the nurse from Binh Dan hospital.


http://tvnz.co.nz/view/news_entertainment_story_skin/430599%3fformat=html