A 35-year-old British man is stabbed to death while playing the 'blue whale' viral suicide challenge

A 35-year-old British citizen has been stabbed to death in a forest in Portugal while playing the blue whale life challenge, a macabre challenge whose ultimate goal is suicide.

The victim, who has not been identified, was allegedly attacked after a fight broke out between a group of friends while they were playing the suicide game, an online challenge that has been linked to several deaths around the world.. The game consists of 50 extreme self-harm challenges that conclude with the participants' suicide.

The Portuguese Police found the victim's body last Sunday in a remote forest between the towns of Poço Negro and Soalheira, as reported by the Daily Mail newspaper.. Another British citizen, 26 years old, surrendered to the authorities and confessed to the crime.

Last Sunday, Portuguese agents interrogated at least three men and two women, including the alleged confessed murderer, who is the main suspect.

The people questioned by police, including the suspect, are believed to be part of a group of foreigners living in a commune near the crime scene.. They have been described locally, mainly as British and Dutch citizens.

The origin of the blue whale challenge is not clear, but it suggests that it was born in Russia in 2017 through fake news, which, when it spread through social networks, ended up making it viral.. That year, the deaths of at least 130 young Russians were reported in incidents related to these practices.

The following year, in Spain, the suicide of a young woman in the Basque Country was related to that viral challenge.

Participants usually receive messages on their phone or on Facebook profiles to join closed groups and participate in the game, which culminates in a fatal outcome.