Man Dies Of Snake Bite While Cleaning Air-Conditioner Where Cobra Was Hiding

A 66-year-old man died of a snake bite while cleaning the air conditioner unit at his home, local media in India reported Monday. The incident took place in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

Cops revealed that the man, identified only by his first name Sridharan, lived with his wife and two children in an apartment in Chennai's Pallaikkaranai area. The man had opened the AC unit after a foul smell emanated from it, local media News Today Net reported. Sridharan found a dead rat inside the unit.

As he began cleaning the unit, a deadly black cobra, which was coiled inside, bit Sridharan twice in his hand. The man reportedly screamed in pain and called for help. His family rushed him to a private hospital. As there was no medicine to treat the snake bite, he was taken to a government hospital where he was declared dead.

Fire service personnel from Medavakkam later arrived at the victim's house and removed the snake from the AC unit. Locals said that it is possible the deadly reptile entered into the air conditioner through a hole created for the AC pipe, from a tree near the window because of heavy rains.

Meanwhile, local police registered a case saying that the hole that had been drilled to place the outdoor unit of the air conditioner had not been sealed properly. This allegedly allowed the reptile to enter inside the unit and hide there, according to DT Next.

In a similar tragedy that occurred recently, a three-month-old baby died after being bitten by a deadly snake which was hiding inside the folds of her blanket. The incident ocurred in the southern Indian state of Telangana. The snake also bit the infant's father, who was carrying her in the arms.

The baby was hospitalized before for a lung infection and had been brought home on the day of the tragedy. Her father noticed that the child had woken up suddenly and was crying. He also noticed foam on the sides of the baby's mouth. The man rushed the child to a hospital where she was declared dead.