This is the nerve-wracking moment snake catchers removed a huge cobra from a car engine.

Santi, the owner of a car and grocery store, spotted the cobra slithering into his shop before it made its way into his car parked outside in Khon Kaen, Thailand, on October 18.

He called the rescue team to capture the reptile.

Footage shows the specialists using snake grabbing tongs to catch the venomous king cobra.

It took them a while to finally capture the animal as it tried to hide further in the machinery.

Santi said: 'I am glad that they were able to capture the snake because it is very harmful if it bites people.'

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.