Thiruvananthapuram: The snakebite toll rose to seven in Kerala after the death of two women in Kannur and Idukki on Sunday.
One of them was identified as Nafeesa (65), a native of Muthkuda near Thaliparamba.
She was undergoing treatment at a hospital after being bitten by a venomous snake at her house on Friday.
Nafeesa was found lying unconscious at her house around 11 am and was rushed to a nearby hospital, the police said. Doctors at the hospital confirmed that she had suffered a snakebite.
She was administered anti-venom and remained on ventilator support, but died at the hospital on Sunday morning, officials said. An investigation has been launched into the incident.
Nafeesa was bitten by a venomous common krait, it is being suspected.
Another 75-year-old woman died after being bitten by a snake near her house at Kanjar in the Idukki district later in the day, the police said. The deceased was identified as Vishalakshi.
She was working outside her house when the snake is supposed to have bitten
her. Though she was rushed to a nearby hospital, she did not survive, News18 said.
With the two new deaths, the number of snakebite fatalities reported in Kerala in recent days has risen to seven, including in Thiruvananthapuram, Alappuzha, Thrissur, Idukki and Kannur districts.
Several others are undergoing treatment in hospitals following snakebites, the police said.
In a similar incident on Sunday, a woman identified as Sharmila, from Coimbatore and staying at a resort in Cherai near Kochi as a tourist, was bitten by a snake while walking in the resort’s garden. She was admitted to a nearby hospital.
Another youth was admitted to the hospital after being bitten by a snake at Ramankulangara in Kollam district on Sunday. A person was also admitted to hospital after being bitten by a snake at his house in Murani, near Mallappally, in Pathanamthitta district.
With temperatures soaring in the state, experts warned that snakes may venture into houses in search of shade, cooler environments and rodents.
The Chief Minister’s Office on Sunday announced that the state government will bear the expenses of 10-year-old Anosh, who is undergoing treatment after being bitten by a snake at his house in Kodaly in Thrissur district last week.
Anosh’s brother Aljo (8) had died following the snakebite. The two brothers were sleeping on the floor of their house when they were bitten by a common krait on April 19.