S'pore preschool teacher, 27, dies from suspected snake bite in Hainan, China

A 27-year-old woman passed away on Jun. 2 after a snake allegedly bit her on her toe in the southern Chinese city of Sanya.

Prior to her passing, the Chinese national, surnamed Li, was working as a preschool teacher in Singapore and was in the midst of applying for graduate school, reported Chinese news outlet Jiupai News.

She was in Sanya with her boyfriend, surnamed Zhang, for sightseeing, according to Fengmian News.

Zhang's account of what happened

Speaking to Fengmian, Zhang said he and Li left Singapore for Sanya on Jun. 1.

After checking into the hotel, the couple went for a walk nearby.

However, when they reached a road situated about 300m away from the hotel at around midnight on Jun. 2, an animal apparently suddenly emerged from the bushes and bit Li's toe, recounted Zhang.

As they were walking between two lampposts, which were apparently not very well-lit, the couple could not tell what exactly bit Li.

When they turned on the flashlight on their phones, there was no animal in sight.

"We only saw two bite marks on [Li's] toes. We felt that it was a snake, but we did not catch a glimpse of what kind of snake it was," added Zhang.

Li felt nauseous and vomited on the way to hospital

Following the incident, Zhang immediately carried Li back to the hotel room and rinsed her wound with tap water, Fengmian reported Zhang as saying.

He also tried to squeeze blood out of Li's wound while Li searched for medical assistance online.

Worrying that the ambulance might take some time to arrive, the couple decided to take a taxi to a hospital in Sanya.

"During our ride, Li suffered from nausea and vomited. Her wound also became slightly swollen, and we had to stop along the way for her to throw up," recounted Zhang.

By the time the couple reached the hospital, it was already past 1am on Jun. 2.

Doctor advised Li to visit another hospital

At the hospital, the couple told a doctor that Li might have been bitten by a snake, reported Fengmian.

However, after examining Li's wound, the doctor apparently told Zhang that they could not rule out the possibility that she was bitten by an insect.

The doctor then arranged a blood test and an IV (intravenous) drip for Li.

"At the time, she was vomiting a lot, and she slipped in and out of consciousness. A nurse gave her an injection to stop her from vomiting. Later on, another doctor came to arrange an additional blood test," recounted Zhang.

After the results came out, the doctor allegedly told Zhang that they could not rule out the possibility that Li was bitten by a venomous snake.

However, the doctor advised Zhang to transfer Li to another hospital, as their hospital had never dealt with snake bites previously, alleged Zhang.

Li pronounced dead at second hospital

According to Zhang, by the time the hospital arranged for an ambulance to take Li to another hospital, Li had already slipped into a coma, reported Fengmian.

When she was carried into the ambulance, it was already 4:30am, which was more than four hours after she was allegedly bitten.

Although Li received treatment at the second hospital, she was eventually pronounced dead at around 7:20am.

Li's family lodged complaint against hospitals

Looking back, Zhang questioned why the first hospital they visited took three hours to diagnose Li, when she was suffering from muscle twitching, reported Fengmian.

Likewise, Li's younger brother also accused the first hospital of not taking Li's injury seriously, highlighting that it only informed Zhang that they had never dealt with snake bites three hours later.

Furthermore, Li's brother asked why the second hospital did not admit her to the intensive care unit (ICU) given the severity of her case, reported Jiupai.

As Li's family believed the two hospitals had caused delays in Li's treatment, they had lodged a complaint to the health authorities in Sanya.

Hospitals & Sanya health authorities investigating

In response to Jiupai's queries, the first hospital that Li visited said an investigation into the incident has been launched.

Similarly, the second hospital also stated that it has been monitoring Li's situation and is currently investigating her case.

The second hospital also said it is in touch with Li's family members, including her parents.

However, both hospitals declined to share further details and only asked the media to wait for the official statement from health authorities.

Sanya health authorities told Jiupai that they are aware of news reports regarding the incident and that investigations are ongoing.

What to do if you encounter snakes in Singapore?

According to the National Parks Board (NParks), snakes are generally shy and will retreat if they come in contact with humans.

As such, members of the public who encounter a snake in a public area in Singapore are encouraged to stay calm and back away slowly to give it space to retreat.

Rather than approaching or attempting to handle the snake, they should leave it as it is, especially if they encounter a snake in its natural habitat.

Members of the public who need assistance can call NParks at 1800-476-1600.

In the event of a snake bite, they should seek medical assistance immediately.

Top images via Fengmian News & 中国品牌/Douyin