MANILA, Philippines - A beautician reportedly died of infection in a hospital a few hours after she was bitten by a rat while washing clothes Tuesday night in Caloocan City. Visitacion Banastas, 43, a resident of Libis Espina street, Caloocan City, died at the Dr. Jose Reyes Memorial Medical Center while being treated of her wound on the left foot around 1 a.m. yesterday.
Investigation showed Banastas was busy washing their clothes outside their house that were drenched by flashflood caused by Ondoy when a big rat infesting on the canal passed by her feet at around 6 p.m. Scared, Banastas looked for a stick and tried to beat the rat. But when cornered the rat instead bit Banastas’ left foot and fled back to the murky canal. Banastas just continued washing the clothes, but an hour later her rat-bitten foot started to swell and she complained of being dizzy and of having fever. Her kin brought her to the DJRMMC at around 8 p.m. for treatment but some four hours later, she died. – Pete Laude