A woman who had been missing since last Thursday was tragically found dead inside a python in central Indonesia marking at least the fifth such incident in the country since 2017.
The victim, identified as 45-year-old Farida, went missing on Thursday night in Kalempang Village, South Sulawesi province. When she failed to return home, her husband and fellow villagers launched a search effort.
The villagers spotted a large python with a swollen belly during the search. Suspecting something was amiss, they decided to cut open the snake’s stomach, whereupon Farida’s head became immediately visible.
The mother of four was found fully clothed inside the approximately 5-meter-long reticulated python. Her husband and the village head, Suardi Rosi, confirmed the tragic discovery.
Such incidents, while considered extremely rare, have occurred before in Indonesia. In the past few years, several people have fallen victim to being swallowed whole by pythons in the country.
Last year, a farmer in Southeast Sulawesi was found killed and consumed by an 8-meter python. In 2018, a 54-year-old woman was discovered inside a 7-meter python in Muna town. And in 2017, a farmer in West Sulawesi went missing before being found eaten alive by a 4-meter python.
The reticulated python is the longest snake species in the world, native to Southern Asia, and capable of growing over 6 meters long.
You can watch a video of the python being cut open here. Another video shows a woman’s body, believed to be Farida’s, in a blanket past distressed onlookers. online
