Gulf News reports that Subhash Yadav, 42, died after attempting to eat 50 eggs in the Jaunpur district of Uttar Pradesh, India on Monday.
According to police, Yadav and a friend were at the Bibiganj market getting a bite to eat when the two began to argue. The subject of their conflict is unknown, but it somehow escalated into Yadav betting his companion 2,000 rupees (a little over $28) that he could down 50 eggs there and then.
The duo purchased 50 hard-boiled eggs from a vendor and Yadav set to it. He was making good time up until his 41st egg. When he popped the 42nd into his mouth he fell unconscious.
He was rushed to a local clinic and then taken to the Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences. Yadav never regained consciousness and died a few hours later.
Doctors ruled that Yadav's death was due to overeating. His family has not released a statement on the incident.
Weighing in at approximately six pounds, 50 eggs is significantly more volume than the average human stomach can accommodate without discomfort.
The egg eating challenge was reminiscent of a scene in 1967 Paul Newman film Cool Hand Luke, which tells the story of a World War II veteran at odds with the world who is jailed for sawing parking meters off of their poles.
After being sentenced to two years on a Florida chain gang, Luke wins the respect of his fellow prisoners through a series of rebellious acts. Most iconic is the scene where he's challenged to consume 50 hard boiled eggs in an hour, a task which pushes him to his physical limit.
Competitive eating, especially eggs, has been responsible for numerous deaths.
In 2013, The Guardian reported on the death of Sharon Dixon. Known as "Big Shaz," Dixon was participating in an Easter egg-eating contest at the Wellington Arms pub in Grimsby, United Kingdom when she swallowed an egg too soon and began to choke.
An ambulance was on the scene within four minutes, but the damage was already done and Dixon died in the hospital two days later.
In 2012, Dhaou Fatnassi also died from marathon egg eating. Fatnassi was challenged by his friends to down 28 raw eggs in a single go, according to news.com.au. He managed to complete the task, but began feeling pains in his stomach and was taken to the hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival.
