A giant king cobra was found inside a car engine in southern Thailand.

The serpent was discovered slithering in the engine bay of a Toyota sedan in Songkhla Province on March 11.

Homeowner Mat-Aleb Thep-La-Wan believes the massive reptile chased the children playing with a kite near a palm plantation after one of them accidentally stepped on its tail.

Mat said: 'The kids were playing in front of my house when one of them accidentally stepped on the snake. It then followed them here and entered the engine compartment.'

He immediately contacted the snake suppression team led by Thaweesak Boonset.

Footage shows the emergency responder inspecting the vehicle before capturing the highly venomous king cobra, with villagers gathered around.

Thaweesak said: 'Finally, it curled up in the headlights of the car. We were able to use a hook to grab the king cobra and pull it out successfully. It measured 3.10 metres (10ft).'

The snake was placed in a sack and will be released back into its natural habitat.

Locals, hopeful for good fortune, are praying for luck for the upcoming lottery draw, using the house number and the car's license plate.

The venom from a king cobra is potent enough to kill 20 people or even an elephant with a single bite. It attacks the respiratory centres in the brain, leading to respiratory arrest and cardiac failure.

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.