Sana’s grandmother, Rahmath, who felt the snake bite first, raised an alarm that woke family members and neighbours, who immediately rushed her to Chittoor Taluk Hospital for treatment.
In a shocking incident, an eight-year-old Class III student, Asbiya Fathima, died of snakebite early in the morning in Moolakkad, Vannamada. Asbiya, daughter of Muhammed Jubairali and Sabiya Begum, was sleeping on a mat in a single-room shed with her grandmother, Rahmath (45), who also fell prey to the snake’s attack.
The first to feel the bite, Rahmath raised an alarm that awoke family members and neighbours, who quickly rushed her to the Chittoor Taluk Hospital for treatment, according to a report on Manorama. Sana, who had been with her grandmother during the snake attack, also accompanied the latter to the hospital.
The family reached the hospital around 2:30 AM, but within a few minutes after their arrival, Sana suddenly collapsed and started vomiting, showing all signs of extreme distress. During medical observation, it was found that the snake also bit her. Even with immediate medicinal interventional measures to stabilise her condition, doctors were unable to save the little girl’s life, Mathrubhumi reported.
Following the tragedy, a detailed inquest was conducted by the Kozhinjampara police to record all the events leading to her death. Later, the body was taken to the mortuary at the district hospital, where a post-mortem examination was scheduled to confirm the cause of her death.
Asbiya was a fourth-grade student at Government Lower Primary School, Kunnankattupathy. She is survived by a younger sister named Asma Taslin.
The tragedy couldn’t have happened at a more inopportune moment when Kerala is trying to make its journey to become the first Indian state without any snakebite-related deaths. One pivotal factor in that feat is SARPA-the, the Snake Awareness, Rescue and Protection created by the Kerala Forest Department in response to numerous high-profile snakebite incidents, such as the deaths of Shahla and Uthra themselves. SARPA seeks to ensure fast snake rescue assistance and immediate medical access by connecting users with certified snake handlers and nearby hospitals equipped with anti-venom.
