Python attack: Woman swallowed whole by 16-foot snake in Indonesia

On Friday, the husband of 45-year-old Farida, along with residents of Kalempang village in South Sulawesi province, found her inside a reticulated python measuring approximately five meters (16 feet).

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In a tragic incident, a woman was found dead inside the belly of a python in central Indonesia, a local official confirmed on Saturday. The victim, 45-year-old Farida, was discovered by her husband and residents of Kalempang village in South Sulawesi province on Friday. The reticulated python that swallowed her measured approximately five meters (16 feet).

Search Effort After Disappearance

Farida, a mother of four, went missing on Thursday night and did not return home, prompting a search effort, according to village head Suardi Rosi, who spoke to AFP. Her husband found her belongings, which raised his suspicions. The villagers then scoured the area and soon identified a python with a noticeably large belly, said Suardi.

“They agreed to cut open the python’s stomach. As soon as they did, Farida’s head was immediately visible,” Suardi recounted. Farida was found fully clothed inside the snake.

Rare but Fatal Incidents

While such occurrences are exceedingly rare, Indonesia has seen several fatal incidents in recent years involving people being swallowed whole by pythons. Last year, residents in Southeast Sulawesi’s Tinanggea district killed an eight-meter python that had strangled and consumed a farmer.

In 2018, a 54-year-old woman was found dead inside a seven-meter python in Southeast Sulawesi’s Muna town. The previous year, a farmer in West Sulawesi went missing and was later discovered to have been eaten alive by a four-meter python at a palm oil plantation.