Mourners panicked when a 13ft python appeared on a funeral hall roof in northern Thailand.

The locals were holding a cremation ceremony when one mourner spotted the snake slithering across the rafters on November 12.

Screams filled the hall in Phrae province as terrified attendees scrambled from their seats, fearing the reptile would fall on them. They called snake wranglers to capture the giant snake.

Footage shows an officer battling to drag the python from the ceiling. Onlookers yelled as the creature was carefully uncoiled from its perch.

Resident Panupong said the funeral was being held for his father-in-law, Poon Sombut, 58, who passed away a couple of days before from a heart attack.

He said: 'I filmed the reticulated python as it stared at a fake snake we had placed under the ceiling to scare birds. It slithered up, probably thinking the fake snake was real prey.'

The rescue team said the python was bagged and later released into the wilderness.

The reticulated python is found throughout Southeast Asia, where they live in forests, swamps, canals and even in cities, causing them to come into conflict with humans. The species is one of the world's largest snakes and can eat humans, cats, dogs, birds, rats and other snakes.