WATCH: Nearly 900 snakes, including venomous cobras, escape from a farm hit by floods in South China; chilling video goes viral

Chaos ensued in South China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region after floods caused a dam to collapse, leading to the escape of around 900 snakes, including venomous cobras, from a submerged farm in a village in Hengzhou. In Dengwei village, where the snakes, including deadly cobras, have spread, authorities declared a state of emergency. According to Global Times, some residents have reportedly suffered snakebites, and the local city government told media that rescue workers have been dispatched to handle the situation.

Guangxi’s Hengzhou city has faced continuous heavy rainfall triggered by Typhoon Maysak, leaving several reservoirs in Nanning under emergency watch. Social media videos from Dengwei village show snakes slithering through murky floodwaters, underscoring the scale of disruption in the region.




On Tuesday, netizens shared screenshots and video clips claiming that floods had destroyed a snake farm in Dengwei village, part of Hengzhou city. The posts said a large number of snakes had escaped and urged nearby residents to take precautions.

According to China’s CCTV.com, some online users noted that villagers stranded by the floods had suffered snakebites and were struggling with limited access to medical supplies and treatment.

"It [the escape] happened on the morning of July 6. According to our preliminary estimate, around 800 to 900 snakes escaped after the farm was washed away by floodwaters. So far, one villager has been bitten by a snake and is receiving emergency treatment at a hospital," Wu Zhi, head of the Dengwei village committee in Yunbiao township, Hengzhou, told Red Star News on Tuesday afternoon.

Wu clarified that many of the snakes that escaped were non‑venomous water species. A resident identified as Shen from Yunbiao township told CCTV.com that snake farms in the area are spread across both low‑lying fields and hillside locations. With breaches at the Liulan and Yunbiao reservoirs, floodwaters inundated the low‑lying zones, allowing snakes from several small farms to move into nearby communities.