flanerie.org

A German almost died after using a sink plunger as a bath plug and impaling himself after slipping on a bar of soap.

Dieter Bayer, 79, who moved to Switzerland with his wife Frieda after he retired, decided to use the plunger because he could not find the bath plug.

But as he stood up to soap himself he slipped and fell heavily on the plunger, wedging the wooden handle up his backside.

His wife, 68, who rushed to the bathroom when she heard him screaming in pain, was unable to pull him free and called emergency services.

An ambulance spokesman said: "There was a lot of blood, the injury was very serious, he could have died."

Doctors operated for eight hours to repair the damage and it will be at least two weeks before he can leave hospital.