An Indian woman who was bitten by a snake in her sleep and unknowingly breastfed poisoned milk to her daughter has died along with the child, police said Friday.

The 35-year-old woman from Uttar Pradesh state did not realise she had been bitten when she woke and breastfed her daughter.

The three-year-old girl and the mother fell ill on Thursday and both died before they could reach hospital, police inspector Vijay Singh told AFP.
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The family spotted the snake in another room but the creature escaped.

A post-mortem is to be carried out but police have registered a case of accidental death, the officer added.

India is home to some 300 snake species and 60 are highly venomous, including the Indian cobra, krait, Russell’s viper and saw-scaled viper.

India accounts for 46,000 of the 100,000 snakebite deaths around the world each year, according to a 2011 study by the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

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