A 17-year-old girl in Zimbabwe reportedly died within 30 minutes of being bitten by a black mamba, one of the deadliest snakes in the world, while she was in school.

The incident took place at Rushinga High School in Mashonaland Central. The victim has been identified as Melody Chiputura, the Herald-Zimbabwe reported.

The black mamba reportedly jumped and bit the girl on her thigh, while the girl was in her classroom. The girl immediately screamed for help.

"The learners discovered the snake and everyone panicked, with some jumping out through windows," a teacher – identified as Christopher Murenga – told the news outlet.

Authorities said the girl was rushed to a hospital, but the doctors declared her dead. Health officials said that she died within 30 minutes of being bitten by the black mamba.

The girl's father, Joseph Chiputura, was informed about his daughter being bitten 10 minutes after the incident.

"When we arrived at the clinic it was too late," he told The Herald-Zimbabwe. "This is hard to accept and it is painful. I don't understand how a snake can get into a classroom and bite my daughter."

School staff are reportedly unaware as to how long the snake was inside the classroom.

The victim's classmates killed the snake after it bit the teenager, ZimLive reported.

Director of Communications and Advocacy in the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education of Zimbabwe Taungana Ndoro said this was the first case the government recorded in many years. Ndoro also expressed his condolences to the victim's family.

The black mamba lives in sub-Saharan Africa, and its bite has a fatality rate of 100%. It is also one of the fastest snakes in the world as it can slither up to 12.5 miles per hour. It is the second-longest venomous snake after the king cobra. A mature specimen generally exceeds 6 ft 7 inch, and commonly grows to 9 ft 10 in, according to National Geographic. Its skin color varies from gray to dark brown.

While news of human deaths linked to black mambas are not that common in southern Africa, last week, a family in Durban lost their pet bird to the deadly snake. The black mamba snake had managed to slither into their home in Queensburgh in South Africa, and entered the creature's cage, before swallowing it.

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