12 April,2024 03:13 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Image for representational purposes only. Photo Courtesy: iStock
While the world grapples with multiple life-threatening diseases - many of which are diagnosed at a young age, this individual celebrated his 124th birthday.
If proven true, the world will not only have its oldest human alive but also the only human to have surpassed the age of the oldest independently verified human ever recorded.
The Peruvian government has claimed that Marcelino Abad, a local resident from the central Peruvian region of Huanuco is 124 years old, born in 1900.
Currently, the Peruvian government officials are helping Abad apply to the Guinness World Records for independent verification. In a statement released by the government, it said, "Among the tranquillity of the flora and fauna of Huanuco, Marcelino Abad developed a healthy way of life and inner peace, reflected in his good health and friendly personality. This allowed him, with resilience and skill, to overcome 12 decades of life and on April 5 he just blew out 124 candles."
According to a statement issued by the pension programme that Abad is part of, his secrets to longevity include a diet rich in fruits, lamb meat, and chewing coca leaves.
Further, Guinness World Records told Reuters, "We receive many applications from individuals who claim to be the oldest living person. Verifying the claim would involve official documents and other evidence being scrutinised by an expert team to prove their achievement beyond doubt."
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Reuters also informed that The Guinness World Records currently lists the oldest living man as a 111-year-old Briton who got the title this month after the death of a Venezuelan man who was 114. The oldest living woman is 117, while the oldest person ever verified reached 122.
The centenarian who recently celebrated his 124th birthday on April 5 was born in the small town of Chaglla. According to media reports, he was living off the radar until the Peruvian government identified him in 2019, securing him a government ID and pension.
Abad now resides in a home for senior citizens. For his birthday, Abad had a special birthday celebration complete with a birthday cake with a figurine in his likeness.
(With inputs from agencies)
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