Tourist dies after being bitten at snake show while on vacation in Egypt

By Lianne Kolirin, CNN

(CNN) — A German tourist has died after being bitten by a snake while on vacation in Egypt, authorities have said.

The 57-year-old man, who has not been identified, had attended a snake-charmer show while on vacation with his family when he was bitten by the animal earlier this month, according to German police, who didn’t release the exact date of the incident.

The family-of-three from the Unterallgäu region of Germany were staying in a holiday resort in Hurghada along the Red Sea coast in Egypt, a press statement from the Bavarian Police confirmed on Monday.

During their stay, they attended the show, which was part of the entertainment program at their hotel. It involved two snakes, believed to be cobras, which the “charmer” hung around the necks of people in the audience, police said.

But the deadly incident apparently occured when one of the snakes managed to get inside the German tourist’s clothing, according to the police statement.

“One of the snakes crawled into the trousers of a 57-year-old man, resulting in a bite to the German tourist’s leg,” it said. “He subsequently exhibited clear symptoms of poisoning and required resuscitation.”

The man was taken to a nearby hospital, where he later died.

An investigation has been launched into the circumstances surrounding the man’s death by the Memmingen Criminal Police Inspectorate and the results of a toxicological examination are pending, officials said.

According to the World Health Organization, around 81,000 to 138,000 people die globally each year from snakebites, while about three times that amount lead to amputations and other permanent disabilities.

CNN has reached out to the Egyptian authorities about the incident.

CNN’s Sebastian Shukla, Stephanie Halasz and Nadeen Ebrahim contributed to this report.

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