This is the terrifying moment a snake rescuer became stuck in mud while holding a very aggressive cobra.

Footage captured in Ahmednagar in western India on June 20 shows Akash Jadhav at the bottom of a 75-foot-deep well attempting to catch the reptile.

When he finally gets hold of the five-foot-long snake, his left leg becomes stuck in the mud at the bottom of the water source.

Unable to move, the venomous cobra lunges at Jadhav repeatedly but the experienced handler holds his nerve, frees himself from the mud and completes the rescue.

“I was out of breath and then found that I could not move with a hissing snake less than a foot away. It was a very tense experience, I am relieved it ended well,” said Jadhav.

This was the spine-chilling moment a rescuer got stranded in knee-deep water while attempting to save a cobra inside a 75-feet deep well.

The man came face-to-face with the venomous snake, which lunged at him and tried to strike a few times. But the rescuer held his nerve and pulled out the cobra safely.

A team led by Akash Jadhav of Animal Welfare Society went to rescue a cobra from an irrigation well near Ahmednagar in western India on June 20.

Akash climbed down the well and tried to catch the large five-feet long snake, which had just shed its skin, and was very aggressive.

It fled away from him a few times and Akash pursued it wading in knee-deep water. When he finally caught it by the tail, he found that his leg was stuck in the muddy water.

As he drew the cobra closer to him with the help of a snake stick, Akash found that he was unable to move quickly. The cobra took several swipes at him and nearly managed to land a bite.

Surviving a few anxious moments, Akash pulled himself free and managed to rescue the snake, which was later released at a nearby forest.

Akash said: “I was out of breath and then found that I could not move with a hissing snake less than a feet away. It was a very tense experience, I am relieved it ended well.”