A farmer was bitten by a Russell's viper while harvesting paddy in Charghat, Rajshahi. But he did not panic. Instead he killed the snake, put it in a sack and rushed to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital (RMCH).

It happened on Friday morning (31 May) in the Pirojpur area of Charghat police station. The farmer is Hefjul Islam (45), son of Jasim Pramanik of the same area.

Hefjul Islam said he had gone to cut paddy in the morning and was harvesting with other farmers. At one point they saw a Russell's viper in the field and began shouting. When Hefjul came forward to catch the snake, it bit him on the cheek. He killed it, put it in a sack and went to RMCH.

Hefjul is being treated in the ICU, and doctors said he is not out of danger.

Shamsur Rahman, a doctor in the RMCH emergency department, said: "I have just come on duty. The incident happened in the morning, and those on duty then can say more. But from what I have heard, it is a Russell's viper. The injured man is being treated and has been taken to the ICU."

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.