Awoman was found dead inside the stomach of a snake in central Indonesia this weekend. Farida, 45, a mother of four and resident of Kalempang village in South Sulawesi province, went missing on Thursday night, triggering a search by her family and neighbors.
The village chief, Suardi Rosi, explained that Farida’s husband discovered some of his wife’s things abandoned in the middle of the street, which raised suspicions. The villagers began to search the area and found a reticulated python about five meters long with a significant bulge in its belly.
Missing woman’s body found swallowed inside a huge python
They decided to open the snake’s stomach and, to their horror, found Farida fully clothed inside the python.
Such incidents are extremely rare, although not unprecedented in Indonesia. In Tinanggea district in southeast Sulawesi, residents killed an eight-meter python that was devouring a farmer.
In 2018, a 54-year-old woman was found dead inside a seven-meter python in the city of Muna, and the year before, a farmer in West Sulawesi was devoured by a four-meter python in an oil palm plantation.
How many people die each year from snake attacks?
It is estimated that between 130,000 and 138,000 people die each year worldwide from snakebites, and up to 400,000 more are left with permanent disabilities. The snakes most deadly to humans are:
- Russell’s viper
- Spear-snout snake
- Common krait
- Black mamba
- Taipan inlanda
Countries with the most snake attacks on humans
- India: It is estimated that there are between 45,000 and 50,000 snakebite deaths in India each year. This is due to the country’s high population density, the presence of numerous venomous snake species and the lack of access to medical care in rural areas.
- Indonesia: between 10,000 and 20,000 people die each year. The most dangerous snakes in the country are the Russell’s viper and the common krait.
- Pakistan: 10,000 to 15,000 people per year. The most dangerous snake in the country is the Russell’s viper.
- Nigeria: between 10,000 and 15,000 people per year. The most dangerous snake in the country is the spear snake.
- Sri Lanka: 5,000 to 10,000 people per year die from snake bites. The most dangerous snake in the country is the common krait.