A 44-year-old woman was killed after being attacked and partially swallowed by a giant python while tending to livestock near her home in Indonesia, in a horrifying incident that has shocked local residents.
The tragedy occurred in North Maluku Province last Tuesday, when Elisabet Yamalau was looking after farm animals near her property.
According to reports, the woman was suddenly attacked by a 25-foot-long wild python that emerged from nearby bushes.
The massive snake allegedly bit the victim before wrapping its body tightly around her and suffocating her. It then began swallowing her.
Concern arose when Yamalau failed to return home, prompting her 52-year-old husband, Benyamin Lanto, to search for her in the nearby farmland.
What he discovered was a scene of horror.
Reports said Lanto found his wife unconscious, with part of her body already inside the python’s mouth.
Desperate to save her, he grabbed a tool and repeatedly struck the snake before eventually severing its head.
However, by the time he managed to free his wife with the help of villagers who rushed to the scene after hearing the commotion, she had already died.
Local police confirmed that the attack took place near the victim’s home and that part of her body was still trapped inside the snake’s mouth when she was found.
She was pronounced dead at the scene before her body was returned to her family for funeral arrangements.
The incident is the latest in a series of fatal python attacks reported in Indonesia in recent years.
In a similar case last year, a 55-year-old woman was killed after being attacked by a 23-foot python while harvesting vegetables in her garden. Reports stated that her head had already been swallowed by the snake when she was discovered.
Reticulated pythons, commonly found in forests, swamps and rural areas across Southeast Asia, are among the largest snakes in the world.
While attacks on humans remain rare, Indonesia has recorded several deadly encounters involving giant pythons in recent years, particularly in remote agricultural communities.
The latest tragedy has once again raised concerns about the dangers posed by large wild snakes living near villages and farming areas.
