Massive python swallowed mum-of-four whole as she made her way to market

WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT The horrendous ordeal traumatised the village, and her husband, who blames himself for letting his beloved wife walk around, alone.

A mum of four was on her way to a market when she was attacked by a terrifying 20-foot python and swallowed whole.

Her lifeless body, still fully clothed, was cut out of the reptile after she was declared missing. The people from the village she lived in cut open the snake’s gut and found her body.

Farida, 50, from Indonesia, disappeared, to the horror of her loved ones, after heading through the woods alone so she could reach a local market to sell produce in the town of Kalimpong.

Her husband, Noni, 55, desperate to find his wife, formed a search party with his neighbours after becoming concerned when she failed to come back in the evening.

The head of the village, Suardi Rosi told AFP that her husband “found her belongings… which made him suspicious. The villagers then searched the area. They soon spotted a python with a large belly.

“They agreed to cut open the python’s stomach. As soon as they did, Farida’s head was immediately visible.”

Sadly, the villagers found a bloated snake hiding amongst the undergrowth. On closer inspection it was clear there was a human sized shape in its stomach. The search team had to use a machete to open up the huge reptile, where they discovered the mother dead on June 6, 2024.

“I am forever sorry that I let my wife go out alone. If I had been with her that day, the snake would not have dared to touch her,” Noni said. “I feel sorry for the suffering she went through. I am sorry for our family.”

It is believed that the snake sank its teeth into her leg before it decided to swallow her whole. Locals believe she died through suffocation and also endured a bite mark to her limb. Her lifeless body was removed from the predator so a religious burial could take place in the Pitu Riawa district of Sidrap Regency.

Despite several previous python attacks in Indonesia, this is reportedly the first time such an incident has happened in Kalempang. Suardi Rosi, head of the village, said: “We have warned everybody to be careful when they walk through the woods. Women should be accompanied by someone.”

Back in 2022, 54-year-old Jahrah vanished after collecting rubber from a plantation in the Jambi province. Two days later, terrified locals found the body in a giant python stretched out in a small clearing.

Mother-of-two Wa Tiba, 54, was also a victim of a snake attack in 2018. Her sandals and machete were discovered a day after her mysterious disappearance, just 30 metres next to a giant python. Local resident Ayu Kartika said at the time: “Everybody was crying, everybody was shocked. The poor woman. This is like a horror movie. People are terrified. We are scared to go outside. We can only pray for safety.”

Police superintendent Agung Ramos from the Muna district Indonesian National Police explained the moments leading up to her death. He said: “Children and residents had been looking for Wa after she did not return home. Some items belonging to victim, sandals, machete, and flashlights, were found but the victim was not there.

“The family then reported this to the police and the search reached its conclusion at 9am. Residents found a python that looked like it was unable to move. Residents then suspected the snake swallowed Wa Tiba. People took the snake into the village and started splitting it open. The suspicions were true, and there was a body intact inside the snake. Unfortunately, the victim was lifeless.”