Grandmother, 57, killed by huge python while working on farm in Indonesia

A grandmother was crushed to death by a huge python while she was working at a farm in Indonesia.

Hapsah, 57, was tapping rubber trees when the sinister serpent lying in the tall grass attacked her at a rubber tree plantation in Muaro Jambi Regency, Jambi province, on August 27.

The 16ft snake easily overpowered the struggling petite woman and wrapped itself around her body. It slowly squeezed the breath out of her lungs until she passed out.

Hapsah's husband M Safri, 66, who worked in the same plantation, went looking for his wife when she failed to return home that afternoon.

He heard rustling noises in the undergrowth and was horrified to find the reptile coiled around his beloved as it prepared to swallow her whole.

Sungai Gelam Police Chief Iptu Usaha Sitepu said: 'When he approached the source of the sound, he saw that the victim had been constricted to death by a python and was about to be swallowed head-first. He knew she was already dead, so he could only pull at the snake's tail and hit it until it loosened its grip.'

Safri said he ran back to the village to call for help in moving Hapsah's corpse.

A mob of vengeful residents later arrived at the scene to hunt down the python. They found it burrowing near the roots of a tree and mercilessly beat it to death.

Village head Amdi said: 'Hapsah was almost swallowed entirely by the snake, with only half of her body left to engulf when her husband managed to free her. After the snake escaped, residents immediately searched for it and killed it. It was massive. It was taken to the village to be shown to the community after it was killed.'

A grieving Safri took Hapsah's body back home to prepare for her funeral.

He said: 'I returned home from the plantation earlier, but if I had known my wife would be attacked like this, I would have stayed to protect her.'

On August 14, another grandmother was killed and devoured by a python.

Maga, 74, had taken her cows to graze in a forested area in the Sumarambu mountains, around a mile from her home in Palopo City in South Sulawesi province, when a python pounced on her.

Her son, Sanaria, 39, ventured into the woods to find her when she did not return home - only to find her half-swallowed by the reptile.

Villagers later slayed the python and brought its mangled corpse back home as a trophy.

The reticulated python is found throughout Southeast Asia, where they live in forests, swamps, canals and even in cities, causing them to come into conflict with humans. The species is one of the world's largest snakes and can eat humans, cats, dogs, birds, rats and other snakes.