An Indonesian woman has been found in the belly of a giant python after the swollen snake was captured near where she vanished while tending her vegetable garden, police said Saturday.
The body of
54-year-old Wa Tiba was found Friday when villagers cut open the seven-metre
(23-foot) python which was found bloated in the village of Persiapan Lawela on
the island of Muna, offshore of Sulawesi.
"Residents
were suspicious the snake swallowed the victim, so they killed it, then carried
it out of the garden," said local police chief Hamka, who like many
Indonesians has only one name.
"The
snake's belly was cut open and the body of the victim was found inside."
Some 100
residents, including worried relatives, launched a search for the woman after
she failed to return from her garden Thursday night.
Hamka said
villagers found the giant serpent lying about 30 metres from Tiba's sandals and
machete, adding she was swallowed head first and her body was found intact.
The garden
in which she disappeared was at the base of a rocky cliff, pockmarked by caves,
and known to be home to snakes, Hamka added.
Giant
pythons, which regularly top six metres, are commonly found in Indonesia and
the Philippines.
While the
serpents have been known to attack small animals, attempts to eat people are
rare.
In March
last year, a farmer was killed by a python in the village of Salubiro on
Sulawesi island.
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