Flood victims returning home in the Indian state of Kerala have been warned to prepare for a new menace: Snakes.

Several snake-catching teams have been deployed to affected areas, amid fears the reptiles could be hiding in cupboards, under carpets, or inside washing machines in previously submerged homes.

Hospitals in the worst-hit areas are readying supplies of anti-venom.
Devastating flooding has killed around 400 people in Kerala since June.
More than a million others were displaced, with many of them taking shelter in thousands of relief camps across the southern state.

As well as the glut of snakes, scorpions and other insects are reported to have moved into human homes.

Several hospitals in northern and central Kerala, where flooding was especially acute, have reported a spike in patients with snake bites.

Returning residents are being urged to sift through their belongings using a stick, the Press Trust of India reports.

Source: BBC Online

BDST: 1013 HRS, AUG 25, 2018
SI