THRISSUR: An eight-year-old boy died after being bitten by a snake while asleep at home in Kadambode, near Kodakara in Thrissur district, highlighting concerns over safety even within concrete houses amid the intense summer heat.
The deceased, Aljo, son of Kavungal Siljo and Jonsy, was a Class II student of Kadambode ALP School. His brother, Anjo (10), who too was bitten by the snake, is under treatment at a private hospital in Angamaly. His condition is reported to be stable.
According to family members, the children were sleeping in their bedroom along with their mother on Saturday night. Around 2 am, the children woke up complaining of discomfort and abdominal pain. As the family had attended a function at Vellikulangara earlier and consumed food and juice, the symptoms were initially suspected to be food-related. Their mother gave them warm water and the children went back to sleep.
However, around 5.30 am, Anjo again woke up feeling uneasy. Aljo was then found severely weak and unresponsive. Suspecting food poisoning, the children were rushed to a private hospital nearby. Doctors, on examining the symptoms, suspected snakebite and later confirmed bite marks on their bodies.
A search of the bedroom by relatives and local residents led to the discovery of a baby snake of the ‘shankhuvarayan’ (common krait) species curled up beneath a pillow on the bed. The snake was killed by local residents.
“Despite being a well-built concrete house, how the snake entered the bedroom remains unclear. The premises includes agricultural land with banana cultivation nearby, from where the snake is believed to have strayed inside. The extreme heat could have driven it indoors in search of cooler conditions. Due to its small size, the snake went unnoticed under the pillow,” a relative said.
Aljo’s sister, Angel, was staying at their mother’s house in Vellikulangara at the time of the incident.
“The incident has shocked the entire locality. People are anxious as this happened inside a closed house,” said Sumitha Athiyarath, a Kadambode resident and former panchayat member.
Aljo’s body will be laid to rest at the St Sebastian’s Church, Kodunga, cemetery on Monday.