A Japanese man has died this weekend after a colleague put an air compressor hose up his backside and caused his insides to be torn apart by the pressure of the air.
46-year-old Akio Ishimaru suffered horrific internal injuries as a result of the massively ill-advised prank played on his by his work-mate Yoshiyuki Yoshida.
34-year-old Yoshida was arrested in connection with the accidental death of Ishimaru on Saturday, reports the Asia Times.
The pair were working together at an industrial equipment manufacturing plant in Tsukuba City, which is in the Ibaraki Prefecture of Japan, when Yoshida grabbed a compressed air hose and pushed it into his friend, according to police reports.
Ishimaru then went away complaining that he didn't feel very well. Unbeknownst to him the force of the compressed air had caused significant injuries inside him. An ambulance was called, but he died later on from his injuries.
When questioned by the police, Yoshida said: "I just did it as a prank. I didn't think he could possibly die from that."
Yoshida has been charged with assault causing death.
Strangely enough, this case is by no means unique in Japan. Despite having a low rate of violent crime involving guns and knives compared to many other countries, several people have died in recent times as a result of air compressors being put up their bottoms.
A spokesperson for the Ryugasaki Police Department said: "It was a tragic accident but not the first of its kind. The air compressor was pushed up against the anus, over clothing, not directly into the cavity, and the release of the air into the body probably damaged the lungs, causing death.
"We are waiting for the results of an autopsy, which is still being scheduled."
It has been suggested that the spate (and it is, bizarrely, a spate) of people dying in Japan as a result of air compressors in their backsides comes from a childhood game called 'Kancho'.
In 'Kancho' a child graps his hands together like a gun, then jabs them into the anus of another child whilst shouting: "Kancho!"
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'Kancho' comes from the Japanese word for enema.
Whilst this is silly, there is a chance that it carries on into adulthood and becomes massively dangerous.
Two men have been killed in Japan since December 2017 in exactly this fashion. One with another air compressor, another with an air duster.
It's not just Japan either. In the past few years, two people at least have died in India in similar circumstances, including one child labourer.
Featured Image Credit: Pixabay