Durian fetches almost $50,000 at auction in Thailand

The 'king of fruits' on its appropriate throne

A luxury durian - dubbed the king of fruits - has sold for a whopping 1.5 million baht (£37,750; $48,000) at a charity auction in Thailand.

Depending on who you ask, the durian is either the king of fruits or the most smelly fruit imaginable.

How much is it worth? A wealthy Thai food lover appears to have answered that question last Saturday.

The thorny durian is a delicacy in much of Asia but also controversial - you either love it or hate it.

Its potent stench means it's banned from public transportation, hotels and planes in certain countries.

According to media reports, the luxury fruit sold at the King of Durian festival in Thailand had been picked just a day before at a local farm.

While even a regular durian of good quality can cost you between $50 and $100, the staggering sum paid last weekend was about double the previous record price at the auction, organisers told the media.

The durian has been called the world's stinkiest fruit

In other recent durian news:

• A whole plane had to be grounded in Indonesia over passengers' complaints about a load of the fruit stored in the hold

• Students and teachers in Australia were evacuated from a university over the unexplained smell from a rotting durian, which was thought to be gas

• Earlier this year, a man in China failed a breathalyser test after eating too much of the special fruit