Tourist dies after snake charmer lets ‘cobra’ crawl into his trousers

A tourist holidaying in Egypt has died after being bitten by what is believed to have been a cobra during a snake show in Egypt.

The 57-year-old had been attending the performance in Hurghada alongside three other members of his family when a snake charmer allowed the reptile to crawl up his trouser leg.

During the show, which was hosted at a hotel in early April, tourists were able to hold the snakes and place them around their necks, according to several German reports.

But the snake charmer let one of the animals – thought to be a cobra- climb up to the top of the Bavarian tourist’s trouser leg.

The unnamed man was then bitten by the snake, and according to police, he began to show clear signs of poisoning.

He then went into cardiac arrest and required resuscitation before being rushed to the hospital, where he tragically lost his life.

The public prosecutor’s office and the criminal police in Memmingen were investigating the circumstances of the death. 

According to a police spokesperson, the investigation is not currently focused specifically on the snake charmer, but is being conducted openly. 

A 57-year-old had been attending a snake charming show in Egypt alongside three other members of his family when he was bitten and killed by what is believed to be a cobra (stock)

 Beach resort of Hurghada in Egypt where the man was killed (stock)

The results of a toxicological examination were still pending.

Hurghada is a popular Red Sea holiday destination, but has long been linked to devastating incidents, including shark attacks.

In December 2024, an Italian tourist was mauled to death by a tiger shark off the coast of Egypt in front of his helpless wife.

Gianluca Di Gioia, 48, from Rome, had been snorkelling at a beach located in front of the glamorous Red Sea Sataya Resort on the coast of Marsa Alam, before the attack on December 22.

The tourist, who worked at the European External Action Service, the diplomatic service of the European Union, was in the sea alongside his friend Giuseppe Fappani, 69, as they celebrated Di Gioia’s recent birthday.

But the trip took a horrific turn when the pair were approached by a tiger shark in the Egyptian waters, while they swam just 160 feet from the beach in an area where the resort’s jetty allows tourists to access beyond the coral reef.

Fappani made it back to shore, but Di Gioia ended up in the predator’s jaws, later dying from his injuries.

In June 2023, a tiger shark killed a 23-year-old Russian national in Hurghada.

Vladimir Popov, 23, was circled by the ‘meat grinder’ tiger shark before he was dragged underwater, as he screamed out: ‘Papa, save me!’

Holidaymakers scrambled from the water as horrified onlookers called out to Vladimir to swim away from the shark before he was mauled to death.

The tiger shark was then caught and dragged to land by boat before it was clubbed to death on the beach ‘in revenge’.

More recently, last March, a tourist submarine sank in Hurghada and claimed the lives of six people. 

The Sindbad submarine, which had dozens of tourists onboard, dived with its hatches still open.

At least six Russians, including two children, were killed, while 39 people were rescued, nine of whom suffered injuries.