Mother Dies Of Snakebite While Trying To Save Toddler From Deadly Reptile

A woman in India sacrificed her life to save her toddler son from a deadly snake that had entered their home.

The mother died Thursday after she was bitten by the snake in Deulabad village in the eastern state of Odisha, media reports said Sunday.

The woman was lying on a bed and trying to get her one-and-a-half-year-old son to sleep when she saw a cobra in the room, Odisha TV reported. The reptile reportedly started approaching the boy. The mother immediately held the snake by its tail, and threw it away. However, the cobra had bitten her on her right hand by then. The victim was identified as Priyadarshini Rout.

Rout was rushed to the district headquarters hospital in critical condition by her family members. The woman later died.

“She sacrificed her own life and saved her child. We are fortunate to have her as our daughter-in-law, but pained by her death. The child is missing her mother badly. However, we will try our best to raise him with utmost love and care,” Sarat Rout, the father-in-law of the deceased, told local media.

Members of the local snake helpline later arrived at the home and rescued the cobra, Orissa Post reported.

The police said a case of unnatural death has been registered and the victim's body was handed over to the family after an autopsy.

Cobra is one of the most venomous snakes in the world. The reptile can literally "stand up" and look at the eye of a full-grown person, according to the National Geographic. Cobras are shy and will avoid humans whenever possible. However, if threatened, they can bite humans and their venom can be fatal.

In June, a 10-year-old boy died in India after being bitten by a snake that slithered into the child's home. The incident took place in the state of Madhya Pradesh. The child was sleeping inside his home when the snake bit him on the left side of his back.