Snakebite toll in Kerala rises to six, elderly woman dies in Kannur

KANNUR: Two elderly women died due to snakebite in Kannur and Idukki on Sunday.

With two new deaths, the number of snakebite fatalities reported in Kerala in recent days has risen to seven, including in Thiruvananthapuram, Alappuzha, Thrissur, Idukki and Kannur districts.

In the first case, the deceased was identified as Nafeesa (65), a native of Muthkuda near Thaliparamba.

She was undergoing treatment at a hospital after being bitten by a venomous snake at her house on Friday.

According to police, Nafeesa was found lying unconscious at her house around 11 am and was rushed to a nearby hospital.

It was later confirmed at the hospital that she had suffered a snakebite.

Police said she was administered anti-venom and remained on ventilator support, but died at the hospital on Sunday morning.

An investigation has been launched into the incident.

Doctors suspect that Nafeesa was bitten by a venomous common krait.

Later in the afternoon, a 75-year-old woman died after being bitten by a snake near her house at Kanjar in Idukki district, police said.

The deceased was identified as Vishalakshi.

According to police, she was working outside her house when she was suspected of having been bitten by a snake.

Though she was rushed to a nearby hospital, she did not survive.

The body will be handed over to relatives after the postmortem, officials at Kanjar police station said

Several others are undergoing treatment in hospitals following snakebites, police said.

In one such incident on Sunday, a woman identified as Sharmila, from Coimbatore and staying at a resort in Cherai near Kochi as a tourist, was bitten by a snake while walking in the resort's garden.

She was admitted to a nearby hospital.

In another incident, a youth was admitted to the hospital after being bitten by a snake at Ramankulangara in Kollam district on Sunday.

Similarly, a person was admitted to the hospital after being bitten by a snake at his house in Murani, near Mallappally, in Pathanamthitta district, on Sunday afternoon.

With temperatures soaring, experts have warned that snakes may venture into houses in search of shade, cooler environments and rodents.

Meanwhile, the Chief Minister’s Office on Sunday announced that the state government will bear the expenses of 10-year-old Anosh, who is undergoing treatment after being bitten by a snake at his house in Kodaly in Thrissur district last week.

Anosh’s brother Aljo (8) had died following the snakebite.

Anosh and Aljo were sleeping on the floor of their house when they were bitten by a common krait on April 19.