Tourist killed after cobra slithers up his trousers during ‘snake charmer’ routine

A snake charmer let one of his snakes go up the German man’s trousers (Picture: AFP)

A tourist has died after being bitten by a snake ‘hypnotised’ in a charmer routine in Egypt.

The 57-year-old man was on holiday with two relatives, enjoying a traditional show when he was roped in by the snake charmer performing at his hotel in Hurghada on the Red Sea.

Two snakes were draped over the necks of other audience members, Bavarian police said.

The snake charmer then let one of the snakes crawl into the trousers of the German man, where it sank its teeth into his leg.

The victim immediately showed signs of poisoning and went into shock. He was resuscitated at the hotel before he was taken to hospital.

When contacted, Egyptian authorities said they were not aware of the incident.

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The man, who was not named in the police statement, came from the Unterallgäu district of Bavaria.

Police and prosecutors are investigating his death and are awaiting the results of a toxicology test.

There have been no arrests, so far in the investigation.

It is not possible to actually ‘hypnotise’ a snake. Snake charmers use a woodwind instrument to enthral the snake but the venomous reptile is actually responding to vibration and swaying.

It is not entranced but actually in defensive, high alert response, ready to strike.

The ‘Sindbad’ submarine sank off the coast of Hurghada earlier today

The death comes after two children died after a tourist submarine with 45 Russian citizens on board sank off the coast of Egypt.

The bodies of six passengers were pulled to the coast of Hurghada, a city on the Red Sea coast, after ‘Sindbad’ capsized last year.

Gianluca di Gioia was reportedly pulled from the water in front of his terrified wife

In 2024, a tourist was killed by a shark while snorkelling in the Red Sea.

Father-of-one Gianluca di Gioia, 48, of Italian origin, was holidaying with his wife and son in the Red Sea resort of Marsa Alam, when he swam out from a jetty to enjoy the area’s abundant marine life.

Egyptian authorities say he was attacked after straying out of a designated swimming area around the jetty.

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