Shocking! Missing woman found inside 16-foot python in Indonesia

Ina harrowing incident, a45-year-old woman was found dead inside the belly of a massive python in central Indonesia. Farida, a mother of four from Kalempang village in South Sulawesi province, was discovered by her husband and local residents on Friday (June 7) after she went missing the previous night.

Her disappearance triggered a frantic search which only ended when her husband stumbled upon her belongings. This led villagers to suspect a nearby python, which measured around 16 feet in length.

"They soon spotted a python with a large belly," village head Suardi Rosi told AFP while explaining the gruesome discovery. "They agreed to cut open the python's stomach. As soon as they did, Farida's head was immediately visible."

In a rare but not unprecedented occurrence in Indonesia,Farida was found fully clothed inside the snake.

Similar tragedies

In a similar tragedy last year in Southeast Sulawesi's Tinanggea district, an eight-metre python strangled and consumed a farmer. In 2022, a woman named Jahrah, a rubber-tapper in her 50s, met the same fate in Jambi province. Local reports detailed how villagers found her body inside a python after she failed to return from work at a rubber plantation.

Two more fatalities were recorded between 2017 and 2018. In 2018, Wa Tiba, 54, disappeared while tending to her vegetable garden on Muna island. Her body was later found inside a seven-meter python, discovered only 30 metres from her sandals and machete.

In 2017, a farmer in West Sulawesi was swallowed by a four-metrepython at a palm oil plantation.

Notably, Pythons have the ability to swallow their prey whole, thanks to their incredibly flexible jaws. They ambush their predators, meaning they lie in wait for unsuspecting prey to come close. They often remain still, camouflaged in their environment, until the right moment.

(With inputs from agencies)