This gives a whole new meaning to spearfishing.

A needlefish stabbed a tourist in the neck while he was swimming in Thailand, leaving him in critical condition.

According to the Bangkok Post, the unusual tragedy occurred Thursday as the victim, Noppadol Sringam, was visiting Ao Tan Khu beach. He was swimming with friends when he was stabbed by a needlefish, which is a skinny fish with a sharp snout (thus the name) that lives in temperate and tropical seas.

It’s unclear how Sringam was skewered; however, the insects are known to spring out of the water, which is how humans have been tragically speared in the past.

Following the incident, the victim yelled for aid, causing others to pull him to shore. After that, Sringam was given first aid before being brought to the hospital.

According to local lawmaker Suchart Jitmungmanotham, his neck piercing was exceptional because the species has never been spotted in that area.

Nonetheless, due to the popularity of Ao Tan Khu, Jitmungmanotham cautioned beachgoers to exercise extreme caution when playing there. He also intended to send more cops to the area as a precaution while investigators investigated the event.

While needlefish assaults are uncommon, this isn’t the first time the species has unintentionally harpooned someone. In a similar occurrence in 2020, a teenage angler was barely alive after being stabbed by a fish that sprang out of the water.

Meanwhile, a 10-year-old child in Hawaii died in 1977 after a needlefish punctured his eye during a midnight fishing excursion with his father. In 2018, Kriangsak Pengpanich, a 22-year-old Thai naval cadet, was murdered after being speared during a training exercise.