A four-year-old girl tragically died in Kerala after being bitten by a cobra while playing, highlighting the dangers of snakebites in the region.
Key Points
- A four-year-old girl in Kerala died after being bitten by a cobra.
- The incident occurred while the girl was playing and retrieving a ball near a snake burrow.
- The girl was rushed to the hospital but succumbed to the venom due to lack of immediate antivenom.
- Police will register a case and conduct an investigation into the tragic incident.
- Several snakebite deaths have been reported in Kerala recently, raising concerns.
A four-year-old girl who was admitted to the hospital after being bitten by a snake at West Eleri died on Thursday, police said.
Details of the Tragic Incident
The deceased was identified as Rithu, daughter of Sharath and Ajitha of Elerithattu.
According to police, the incident occurred on April 27 when Rithu was playing with friends in the courtyard of a relative's house and a ball rolled near a burrow where an Indian spectacled cobra was hiding.
When the child attempted to retrieve the ball, she was bitten by the snake.
Hearing her cries, people rushed to the spot and killed the cobra before taking the child to a nearby hospital, police said.
Challenges in Treatment and Hospital Transfer
As antivenom was unavailable there, she was transferred to the Government Medical College Hospital, Pariyaram, in the neighbouring Kannur district.
Police said Rithu remained in critical condition and was under ventilator support.
She died on Thursday morning, police said.
Investigation and Aftermath
Police said a case would be registered and an investigation conducted.
The body will be handed over to relatives after post-mortem examination, they added.
Around eight persons, including three children, have died in snakebite incidents reported in Kerala over the last 10 days.
