'Doomsday fish' caught hours before earthquake in Taiwan

A ‘doomsday fish’, which is said to surface only before disasters occur has been caught hours ago the deadly earthquake in Taiwan, local media reported.

A fisherman in Philippine claimed to catch Oarfish at 2am on Tuesday, just hours before the earthquake strike the neighboring country, Taiwan.

Oarfish normally inhabit depths of up to 3,300 feet, but according to Japanese mythology, they can be seen in shallow waters just before a catastrophe.

The fisherman named Brenjeng Caayon, who caught the fish close to Kalanggaman Island, said that it is not a coincidence.

“Superstition says this is a bad omen. Earlier I did not believe in it but now, I have begun to. I came to know that Taiwan was shaken by an earthquake after I caught the fish,” the 53-year-old fisherman said.

Belief in the ominous nature of the oarfish gained new prominence following the devastation caused by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.

The fire service of Taiwan reported that nine people have died and at least 963 were injured as a result of the 7.4 magnitude earthquake, the deadliest one in the last 25 years.