This is the horrifying moment a grandmother was found dead - with her head in the jaws of a giant python.

Wa Siti, 55, was pounced upon by the killer 23ft reptile while she collected vegetables from her own garden in Indonesia on April 9.

Her worried son La Faru went looking for her when she failed to return home. But he let out blood-curdling screams when he found his mother mid-way through being swallowed by the beast.

Wa Siti's head was in the snake's mouth, and her face was covered in slime when they pulled her out.

Footage shows neighbours holding their torches and machetes as they grappled with the snake in the tall grass.

The furious locals hacked the serpent to death with their tools, but Wa Siti could not be saved. She had a funeral the next day.

Officials have now warned residents to beware of further snake attacks in the Buton Regency of South East Sulawesi.

Police Inspector One Hardi said: 'The victim had two gardens that were close by each other. She went to harvest vegetables.

'Her son looked for her in those farms, but she was not there. He also searched in the nearby forest.

'When he went to the garden, La Faru found a basket that was usually used. Feeling that something was odd, La Faru then called his other relatives.

'They only found the victim's basket, which she used to gather vegetables, so they immediately searched the garden.

'They found their mother with the snake wrapped around her, and her head in the snake's mouth. The victim was already dead.

'They slashed the snake's head and immediately evacuated the victim.'

Neighbours helped the grieving family carry Wa Siti back to the village for a funeral.

Devastated Saimin, another of the victim's children, called relatives to help find his mother when he noticed her basket.

He said: 'I was always worried about her working on the farm. I have seen big snakes before. She had worked on the farm since she was a little girl, so she was not afraid.

'She would always have her basket with her, so I knew something was wrong.'

Indonesia has a large population of pythons living in its lush forests. The plentiful sources of food have allowed them to grow particularly large.

However, increasing urbanisation and the rise in palm oil farms and rubber plantations have led to increasing conflict with humans, often with the pythons coming out on top..