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STORY: :: Thai police rescue a woman who was trapped in a python's coils for nearly two hours

:: Police Station Phra Samut Chedi

:: September 17, 2024

:: Samut Prakan, Thailand

:: Arrom Arunroj, Python attack victim

:: Nation TV

:: "While I was washing the dishes, I was also scooping water. As soon as I sat down, the snake bit me. At first, I thought it was a cockroach, but then I saw it was a snake, and it started constricting me tightly. I fought with it for quite a while, since around half past eight."

:: "Since 8:30 PM? How many hours has it been? It's 10:00 PM now."

:: "At first, I grabbed its head, trying to make it let go, but it wouldn’t. It just kept squeezing tighter. When I saw it start to slither, I let go of its head, and it slithered away, then came back, and finally went down below."

:: Anusorn Wongmali, Phra Samut Chedi Police

"The caretaker of the dorm, an older man, shouted that there was an elderly woman inside. She was calling for help because a snake was constricting her. So, we kicked the door open and saw the elderly woman being constricted by the snake on the floor. It must have been for quite some time because her body had already started to turn pale."

Footage showed Arrom Arunroj lying on the tiled floor of her house with the python, one of the largest snakes in Thailand, wrapped around her body, near damp, overgrown bushes.

After two hours, police and officials rescued Arrom, who was then taken to the hospital for treatment, according to a police statement.

Reuters reached out to Prayoon Pattulee, the Deputy Superintendent of Investigation at Phra Samut Chedi Police Station, who confirmed the bodycam footage was from an officer in the station.

The Department of Disease Control reported 26 deaths from snake bites in Thailand in 2023. The reticulated python, one of the longest snakes in the world, is commonly found across Southeast Asia, including Thailand, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).