Snakebites cases surge in rain-hit Bangladesh

In the swamplands along Bangladesh's mighty Padma River, snakes slithering through villages have become an unrelenting menace, leaving residents terrified and hospitals overwhelmed with bite victims.

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Doctors and experts warn snakebites are on the rise, driven by heavy rain, shrinking habitats and shifting farming practices.

Bangladesh - among the nations most vulnerable to climate change - has seen nearly 15,000 snakebite admissions this year, with 84 deaths reported so far.

Farmer Ananda Mondol broke down as he recalled how a snake bit his ankle while he was working in a rice field this year.

"I couldn't talk, I couldn't move," the 35-year-old from Nimtola, a village in the northern district of Rajshahi, told reporters.