Hundreds of snakes, including highly venomous cobras, have escaped from inundated breeding farms in southern China as severe storms continue to batter the region.
A commercial snake farm in Hengzhou, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, was submerged by flood waters following days of intense rainfall triggered by typhoon Maysak.
Local authorities reported that the escaped species include water snakes, king ratsnakes, and cobras, which are now moving through the floodwaters.
“Hundreds of snakes escaped all at once. I’ve seen five or six,” a snakebite victim in a local hospital told Beijing News.
The villager recounted that he was bitten by a cobra while clearing debris on the ground floor of his house at approximately 1 p.
m. on Tuesday.
A local doctor specializing in snakebite treatment told the newspaper that he had already treated several villagers since the typhoon struck the area.
Beijing News reported that a snakebite victim had died, citing confirmation from a local hospital and witnesses.
The escape occurred amid severe flooding in Guangxi, where two reservoirs experienced overtopping and breaches on Monday, leaving multiple towns surrounded by water.
The disasters have claimed at least six lives in the province, with 50,000 residents evacuated and six people still missing.
Nationwide, the death toll from the devastating storms rose to 38 after a landslide in the central province of Gansu killed 21 people on Wednesday.
Severe thunderstorms and tornadoes killed at least 11 people in the central province of Hubei, according to state media updates.
China’s leader, Xi Jinping, called for “all-out” rescue efforts as flooding and other extreme weather variants continued to impact the country.
The Hengzhou emergency management bureau confirmed they received reports regarding the damaged breeding farms and the subsequent snakebite incidents among villagers.
On Wednesday, the Hengzhou Media Convergence Centre issued emergency guidance on preventing and treating snakebites, warning that cobras, kraits, and green pit vipers had escaped.
The center stated that local authorities have increased anti-venom supplies and opened a fast-track treatment channel at Hengzhou People’s hospital.
The designated treatment facility declined to comment or confirm the state media reports regarding the death of the snakebite patient.
The official guidance warned that the snakes could seek shelter inside homes, stairwells, building corners, and along riverbanks, urging people to avoid handling them.
Rescue personnel and medical specialists have been deployed to assist with treatment, and additional medical stations have been established in the affected zones.
