Drunk miners cut off own ears in bet

Two inebriated Russians in a Siberian mining region both cut off their own left ears after betting on the result of an arm-wrestling contest, police said.

The men were drinking to celebrate Orthodox Christmas and held an arm-wrestling contest, agreeing that the loser had to cut off his ear, police reported in the southern Siberian Kemerovo region.

One of the men won the first bout, but his opponent insisted on a second round, which he won. The two men then decided that according to their rules, both must cut off their ears, police said.