Man dies after taking part in a taco-eating contest at baseball game in California

The man collapsed and was rushed to hospital after taking part in the contest at Chukchansi Park in Fresno, California
AP

A man has died after collapsing while taking part in a taco-eating competition during a baseball game in the US state of California.

Dana Hutchings, 41, had been eating the Mexican dish during a contest at a minor league match in Fresno, about 200 miles south-east of San Francisco.

He was rushed to hospital but died a short while later.

It was not immediately known how many tacos he consumed, but a witness said he was eating “much faster” than the other two contestants.

Mathew Boylan, who watched Tuesday's contest, said Mr Hutchings appeared to be swallowing the tacos without chewing them.

Mr Hutchings collapsed about seven minutes into the contest and hit his face on a table as he fell to the ground, he added.

The competition had been organised by the Fresno Grizzlies baseball team on Tuesday.

They have cancelled the World Taco Eating Championship which was scheduled to take place on Saturday.

Additional reporting by the Associated Press

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