• A 13-year-old boy in New Zealand swallowed about 100 high-powered magnets, requiring surgery to remove damaged intestinal tissue
• High-powered magnets have been banned in New Zealand since 2013

A 13-year-old boy in New Zealand suffered severe health complications after swallowing up to 100 high-powered magnets he had purchased online, forcing surgeons to remove parts of his damaged intestines

The unnamed boy was admitted to Tauranga Hospital on the North Island after four days of abdominal pain

According to a report by doctors published in the New Zealand Medical Journal, the boy admitted to swallowing around 80 to 100 neodymium magnets measuring 5×2 mm about a week earlier

An X-ray revealed that the magnets had clustered inside his intestines in four straight lines, stuck together in separate sections due to magnetic force

Doctors said the pressure from the magnets caused necrosis (tissue death) in four areas of the small intestine and caecum, prompting surgery to remove the dead tissue and extract the magnets

The boy was discharged after eight days in the hospital

It is worth noting that high-powered magnets have been banned in New Zealand since 2013