A Missing Man Was Discovered Inside a 23-Foot Python

Authorities in Indonesia said they discovered a missing man's body inside a giant python.

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The body of a missing Indonesian man was discovered inside a 23-foot python earlier this week, after he was apparently swallowed whole.

According to the BBC, officials and villagers had been trying to locate a 25-year-old man named Akbar, who was last seen on Sunday. Members of the search party began scanning the village of Salubiro, on the island of Sulawesi, when some of them came across a large python they suspected of swallowing Akbar.

“They didn't find him (Akbar), but the villagers saw an unmoving python in the ditch. They grew suspicious that maybe the snake had Akbar,” Mashura, a spokesperson for West Sulawesi police, told BBC Indonesia. “When they cut it open, Akbar was inside the snake.”

Villagers Slice Open 23-Foot Python To Find Man Who Was Swallowed Whole

Horrifying footage of villagers cutting open the animal and discovering Akbar’s body was posted to YouTube on Tuesday. The graphic video shows the lifeless body slowly being retrieved from the snake's stomach. It appears the man was still wearing his shorts, shirt, and boots.

The python was reportedly discovered near Akbar’s family’s palm plantation.

Nia Kurniawan, an assistant professor of biology at the University of Brawijaya, told the BBC that pythons of that size typically avoid areas inhabited by humans; however, he believes the snake was attracted to the palm plantation as it tends to attract prey like primates, boars, and wild dogs. 

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