A nightmare unfolded in a Chinese village after nearly 900 reptiles, including venomous cobras, escaped a breeding farm swept in the floods caused by Typhoon Maysak.
Viral footage shows snakes swimming in the floodwaters through a village in Hengzhou, China.
According to The Independent, one of the escaped reptiles bit a local villager.
Officials said the villager is receiving emergency treatment.
Check out the footage:
🚨 BREAKING: Nearly 900 snakes, including venomous cobras, escaped after typhoon flooding destroyed a breeding farm in southern China. Search teams are racing to capture them. 🐍 pic.twitter.com/St6d0rjvZv
— Rosie Bella (@chronicalguy) July 9, 2026
More from The Independent:
The snakes slithered away when the farm in Hengzhou, in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, was inundated on Monday morning.
ADVERTISEMENTHeavy rainfall caused a pair of reservoirs, called Liulan and Yunbiao, to breach their walls, inundating low-lying communities and washing away several small-scale snake farms in the area.
A viral video showed villagers standing in waist-deep floodwaters with bamboo sticks trying to catch the reptiles.
“Volunteers are going door-to-door with fishing nets, and temporary clinics are treating bite victims,” Mario Nawfal wrote.
🇨🇳 As if one disaster was not enough, Typhoon Maysak smashed 2 reservoirs in Guangxi and flooded snake farms in Hengzhou.
Around 900 snakes escaped, including venomous cobras, turning already soaked villages into literal cobra patrol zones.
Volunteers are going door-to-door…
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) July 9, 2026
The New York Post shared further:
The breeding farm is said to have housed a mix of venomous cobras, king rat snakes and non-venomous water snakes.
Emergency teams were dispatched to the scene to search for the escaped reptiles and assist local residents affected by the flooding.
The Hengzhou Emergency Management Bureau confirmed rescue workers were dealing with the incident.
Officials said further information would be released as the situation develops.
The great escape has prompted authorities to stock up on anti-venom and advise residents on what to do if they happen to encounter a snake.
ADVERTISEMENTIt is understood that at least one person has already been bitten and is receiving medical treatment, according to local media.
The terrifying scenes come after it was reported that at least 39 people lost their lives in China in the last week, after a tropical storm dumped heavy rainfall and caused widespread flooding.
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