Woman missing for several days found alive after surviving snake bite in Australia
A missing woman in Australia is lucky to be alive after surviving a snake bite.
The woman, whose identity was not released, was reported missing from the Snowy Mountains region since Oct. 21. She was found on Oct. 27, the New South Wales (NSW) Police Force said.
The Monaro Police District, part of the NSW Police Force, received a report on Oct. 21 for the missing 48-year-old woman. Multiple emergency services assisted in the search for the woman, the police force said.
'Fortunate to be alive'
On Oct. 27, the NSW Police Force said around 4:50 p.m. local time, the woman was found by a National Parks and Wildlife Service officer on the Nungar Creek Trail at Kiandra. When the woman was located, she was injured, the police force said.
NSW Ambulance paramedics treated the woman’s wound for what was believed to be a snake bite, the police force said. They also stated that she was then transported to Cooma District Hospital was in a stable condition.
"She advises she was bitten by a copperhead snake four days before being found and also rolled her ankle and she was suffering from dehydration," Monaro Police District Superintendent Toby Lindsay told the Australian Broadcast Corporation.
Superintendent Lindsay told the news outlet that about 30 people searched the area daily until the woman was found.
"She's in fact very fortunate to be alive and we're glad that she is,” Lindsay told the news outlet. “She obviously went through a tough time."
Car service company inquiry reportedly led to search for missing woman
The search for the woman started after a car service company made a report to the NSW Police Force, the Australian Broadcast Corporation reported.
In the report, the news outlet said that a car service company called the police force after the car had not been moved for six days and that the vehicle was also past its return date.
The woman was last seen in the car on Oct. 15, the news outlet reported.
Copperhead snakes
The woman was bitten by a copperhead snake which are venomous, according to the Poison Control.
If someone is bitten by the snake it can cause “local pain, swelling, redness, bruising, and blistering, as well as systemic symptoms like low blood pressure and bleeding,” the center said.
Copperheads are restricted to relatively cool and cold environments in southeastern parts of Australia, the Australian Museum said.
The museum said that these snakes typically appear earlier in the day in autumn than in spring and summer.
Ahjané Forbes is a reporter on the National Trending Team at Paste BN. Ahjané covers breaking news, car recalls, crime, food recalls, health, lottery, and public policy stories. Email her at aforbes@gannett.com. Follow her on Instagram, Threads and X (Twitter) @forbesfineest.