A Filipino social media food influencer lost her life after consuming a poisonous devil crab while filming content for her online audience.

 

Emma Amit, 51, created food videos by visiting different locations and showcasing various cuisines on platforms like Facebook and TikTok. 

 

According to reports, on February 4, she went with friends to collect seafood from a mangrove forest near her home, bringing back shellfish to prepare content for her followers.

 

Instagram Post

 

 

After boiling and cooking the seafood, Amit picked up a devil crab and ate it on camera to show her viewers. The decision proved fatal.

 

The following day, neighbors reported that Amit had fallen critically ill. They rushed her to a local clinic where she began experiencing seizures and her lips turned deep blue. Medical staff immediately transferred her to a hospital for emergency treatment.

 

Despite medical intervention, Amit fought on for two more days before passing away on February 6.

 

According to the Smithsonian Institution, devil crabs inhabit coral reefs throughout the Indo-Pacific region. The species contains powerful neurotoxins similar to those found in pufferfish, making them extremely dangerous for human consumption.

 

Devil crabs get their name from their toxic nature rather than their appearance. The neurotoxins they carry can cause severe neurological symptoms including seizures, respiratory failure, and cardiac arrest. 

 

Local authorities have not commented on whether warnings about devil crabs exist in the area where Amit collected the seafood.