A 10ft-long deadly king cobra sparked panic after raiding a Buddhist temple in Thailand.

The venomous reptile hid inside golden Buddha statues after monks saw it in Wat Pa Senanuch temple in Phetchabun province.

The terrified religious leaders immediately called the rescue volunteers to help them remove the snake from the temple.

When they arrived, they began the search and found it coiled under a collection of golden brass Buddha statues.

Four volunteers carried each statue and checked the hole at the bottom of the hollow figures.

After almost an hour, they found the statue that contained the snake lured it out using a stick with a hook.

The golden statue was laid on its back while the men kept their distance while luring the snake out of the hole in the Buddha's head.

One of the rescuers even used a broomstick to drag the snake with until they are able to pin it down on its head.

The snake was placed in a sack before the monks thanked the rescuers who drove away with the reptile to release it in the wild.

Speaking after, one of the monks said they noticed a black creature slithering in the pavilion and was shocked when they realised it was a venomous cobra.

The monk said: "The large snake was crawling among the statues in the temple pavilion. We did not come near it because it could harm us and the temple-goers."