Woman dies after python attack in South Sulawesi, Indonesia – 3rd such incident in province since June

A woman has been found dead after being attacked by a python in central Indonesia, police and local officials said Friday, the third such death in the province since June. Maga, a 74-year-old who like many Indonesians went by only one name, sparked concern when she failed to return home on Wednesday, prompting relatives to search for her victim. She was found dead likely “because she was bitten by the snake,” said Supriadi, a police spokesman in the city of Palopo in South Sulawesi province. He told AFP the snake in question was a 13-foot (4-meter) python. The woman was found with bites on her head and legs near her family home after she went to work in a field, said Awaluddin, head of Palopo’s Padang Lambe district. She was found in Padang Lambe by her daughter with the snake just metres from her body, Awaluddin told AFP. Residents beat the snake to death and said the woman had been swallowed up to her shoulders and had vomited, he added.