Apparently, eating mochi, or glutinous rice cakes, which is a New Year delicacy in Japan has become deadly, killing nine people in Japan over the holidays.

Eighteen people were sent to the emergency room because of suffocation after eating the rice cakes, three of whom died in Tokyo says a fire department official.

Like Us on Facebook

According to local newspapers, nine people in Japan already died from accidental rice cake choking along with 13 others who are in serious condition.

Those who's suffered from this unfortunate rice-cake death are between ages 50 to 90s - two fatalities included an 84-year-old man from Kokubunji and a 76-year-old man from Koto Ward.

In Japan, celebrating New Year is a rather important holiday for locals as families cook the traditional ozouni soup that includes these sticky rice cakes in a vegetable broth.

Japan's fire departments have already given warning to people, especially young children and elderly folks, to carefully eat the sticky rice cakes by cutting them up in smaller pieces. The glutinous substance that is both gooey and sticky can be a challenge to chew, and can easily get lodged in people's throats, causing suffocation and even death. 

For those who are in danger of having a sweet little mochi trapped inside their throats, performing a sharp slap on the back can do the trick along with the Heimlich maneuver.

Japanese fire departments even suggested extreme methods to extract lodged rice cakes by using vacuum cleaners to suck out the mochi from choking elderly. A local medical device manufacturer has even designed a device with a suction nozzle for mochi lovers who are stuck with one in their throats.

TagsJapan: 9 Dead from Choking to Death from Eating Rice Cakes This New Year, mochi, rice cakes new year nine dead japan mochi suffocating choking, Nine People Choke to Death on Rice Cakes in Japan Over New Year’s