1:53pm UK, Thursday January 19, 2006

Mexico's fattest man has asked doctors to operate on him - because he fears he will die otherwise.

Manuel Uribe weighs more than 86 stone and is one of the world's fattest people.

180-Manual Uribe Mexico fattest man

Manual Uribe

He is no longer able to walk and says his body is not able to withstand his weight.

The 40-year-old has not been able to work for five years and is now bed-ridden.

He wants doctors to help him lose some weight through an operation.

"If they can operate on my stomach, then ... listen, I am not afraid of dying, we were born to die," he said.

"But I'm afraid to die without trying. That, yes, I am frightened of."

In Mexico, close to 75% of people over 30 are considered overweight.