A 60-year-old man died after being bitten by a snake while trying to protect his friend in Queensland, Australian media reported. According to medical services, the man was probably bitten by one of the most venomous species of these reptiles in the world.
The incident happened in the town of Koumala, near Mackay, on the coast of the Australian state of Queensland on Friday during celebrations to mark the 100th anniversary of the local state school.
Claire Bertenshaw of Queensland Ambulance Service said the snake had wrapped itself around the man’s leg at some point. His 60-year-old friend decided to help him and tried to remove the reptile. Then he himself was bitten, probably in the shoulder and chest. He suffered a cardiac arrest. Resuscitation lasted for at least half an hour.
– Despite the heroic actions taken by both witnesses and paramedics, unfortunately, he could not be saved – she said. Bertenshaw
A friend of the deceased, of a similar age, was transported to the hospital. He was discharged on Sunday.
A 60-year-old man may have been bitten by one of the world’s most venomous snakes
According to Bertenshaw, the man’s symptoms indicate that he was most likely bitten by a reticulated pseudocobra (Pseudonaja textilis), one of the most venomous snakes in the world, living, among others, in the eastern part of Australia.
Christina Zdenek, PhD, from the University of Queensland, said this species is responsible for the majority of snakebite deaths in Australia.
Reticulated quasi-cobraIllustrative photoShutterstock
Main photo source: Shutterstock – illustration photo