A deadly 12ft king cobra lunged at a snake catcher as he tried to drag it out of a car engine in Thailand.

The venomous snake was found by shocked car owner Wichien Pengket, 38, who discovered it hiding in his Ford's engine compartment in Songkhla province on August 24.

Terrified Wichien called local snake wrangler Taweesak Boonset to deal with the creature.

Footage shows the cobra flaring its hood and snapping at Taweesak as he tried to pull it off the vehicle. The furious reptile tried to strike him, but he kept his distance and pinned down its head using his tools.

The cobra was sealed inside a sack to be released into its natural habitat.

Taweesak said: 'Lots of cobras emerge in this area near the Khao Nam Khang National Park during this season. I catch them almost every day, with some reaching up to 13 feet long.

'They are trying to take shelter from the intermittent heat and rain. That's why more and more cobras are coming out.'

Researchers found that 7,000 people are treated for snake bites each year in Thailand. Suchai Suteparuk from the Division of Toxicology at Chulalongkorn University reported that 30 of those die, with cobras being the biggest killer.