On February 4, 2026, Emma Amit recorded what would be her last post. In the video, the 51-year-old, a well-known food vlogger in Puerto Princesa, Palawan, is seen venturing into a mangrove forest, catching crabs with her bare hands, and cooking them in coconut milk in front of the camera. She then eats them. What neither she nor her friend who shared the dish knew is that the crustacean she was holding was Zosimus aeneus, known as the devil crab: the most poisonous crab in the Philippines, with a mortality rate of 50%.
The next day, neighbors saw her convulsing while she was being rushed to a health center. Her lips had turned a dark blue shade. She remained unconscious until she was declared dead on February 6 at a hospital in Puerto Princesa. The friend who ate with her also died. In the trash at her home, authorities found seven shells from the same crab.
What makes the case especially disturbing is the paradox of her experience: according to barangay chief Laddy Gemang, Emma and her husband were experienced fishers who knew the sea well. Zosimus aeneus contains tetrodotoxin and saxitoxin, two neurotoxins that are not eliminated by cooking, no matter how many hours the animal is cooked. She was not the first victim: in October 2025, a 54-year-old fisher from the same coastal province had died in an identical way.
@eldeber.com.bo A food influencer in the Philippines died after eating a poisonous crab and documenting it on her social media. Emma Amit, 51, died in the hospital two days after filming herself eating the toxic Zosimus aeneus specimen, known locally as the ‘devil crab.’ #ElDeber #Information #Influencer #DevilCrab ♬ original sound – EL DEBER