Man dies after being bitten by snake in north Queensland

A man has died in hospital after being bitten multiple times by a snake in north Queensland.

Queensland ambulance service paramedics were called to a Deeragun property after 3pm on Tuesday. The man was in a critical condition and had sustained “multiple” snake bites at a separate address. He was taken to Townsville hospital but later died.

It is believed the man was bitten by an eastern brown snake but QAS was unable to confirm this.

Eastern brown snakes are highly venomous, with their populations thriving thanks to broad-scale clearing of land for agriculture. They are medium-sized snakes, found across eastern Australia in a wide stretch from northern Queensland to South Australia.

Although brown snakes are the most common cause of fatal snake bites in the country, it is rare for bites to be fatal.

About 3,000 snake bites are reported each year, with 41% from brown snakes. Two deaths are reported each year from bites.

More than half of the snakebite fatalities in Australia between 2000 and 2016 occurred in or around the victim’s home, according to a nationwide review.

This article by Emily Wind was first published by The Guardian on 20 March 2024. Lead Image: An eastern brown snake. A man has died after being bitten several times by one near Townsville. Photograph: William West/AFP/Getty Images.

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