Fishermen in Araceli town, Palawan province found a human arm inside the shark鈥檚 stomach.
PUERTO PRINCESA CITY 鈥� Fishermen from Barangay Calandagan in Araceli town, Palawan province found a human arm inside the stomach of a shark they caught recently, police said on Thursday, Feb. 27.
According to the Palawan Police Provincial Office, the fishermen were fishing about 26 miles off Calandagan near Canaron Island, using hook and line, when they caught a 20-kilogram shark.
Upon returning to shore, the fishermen slaughtered the shark to sell it to waiting residents. During the process, a human arm measuring approximately 12 inches fell out of the shark鈥檚 stomach.
The fishermen immediately buried the severed arm and reported the incident to authorities.
On Feb. 17, personnel from the Araceli Municipal Police Station and the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office went to the barangay to retrieve the arm for fingerprinting and possible identification. However, the arm was too decomposed to obtain fingerprints.
Meanwhile, the Sangguniang Barangay of Calandagan released an official statement explaining that they did not publicly disclose the incident to avoid confusion and to allow authorities to handle the situation appropriately.
Barangay officials also said they investigated, interviewed the fishermen involved, and subsequently turned the matter over to higher authorities for further examination.