/ 31 December 2006

Woman swallows spoon in laughing fit

A young Australian woman got more than she bargained for during a dinner conversation when she laughed so hard she accidentally swallowed a spoon.

The 26-year-old ingested a teaspoon when she was overcome by the giggles while eating spaghetti, the Sunday Telegraph newspaper said.

The 15cm spoon stuck in her throat at the top of her stomach.

Doctors at Canterbury Hospital sedated the woman and removed it “with great difficulty” during a 90-minute operation. – AFP