Actor-director Eli Roth was left in agony during a festive vacation to Mexico - after he was engulfed in waves while kayaking and then stung 200 times by sea urchins.

The Inglourious Basterds star was one mile from shore when he was pulled under by a sinkhole off the coast of Careyes 10 days ago. To escape, Roth climbed a rock that was covered in sea urchins which unleashed the deadly spikes into his body, reports TMZ.com. A nearby fisherman saved the star.

Roth tells TMZ the doctor couldn't anesthetize his foot because of swelling - the medic was forced to pluck the spikes out with a pair of tweezers.

However, he hasn't let the incident hinder plans to attend his next red carpet event - the recovering star still plans to attend the People's Choice Awards on Wednesday night.

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(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network)