Tourist dies from 'cobra bite' in Egypt after snake charmer let it crawl into his trousers

James Saunders
Tue, 28 Apr 2026 04:32:24 +0000

A German tourist has died after a cobra bite during a snake show at a hotel in Egypt.

The 57-year-old man from Bavaria was watching the performance with three of his family members in early April when tragedy struck.

During the show, visitors were allowed to handle the reptiles and even drape them around their necks.

But a snake charmer is said to have let one of the animals, believed to be a cobra, crawl up the tourist's trouser leg.

The reptile then bit the man near the top of his leg.

The victim, who has not been named, was fatally wounded during the performance.

Police said he displayed clear signs of poisoning after being bitten.

He subsequently went into cardiac arrest and needed to be resuscitated before being taken to hospital, where he died.

Authorities in Memmingen, Germany, have now launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death.

A police spokesman confirmed the inquiry is not specifically targeting the snake charmer at this stage.

The investigation is being conducted openly without a particular focus, while toxicology results are still pending.

Hurghada, the popular Red Sea resort destination where the bite took place, has been the site of several deadly incidents in recent years.

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In December 2024, an Italian tourist was killed by a tiger shark while snorkelling off the coast of nearby Marsa Alam.

Gianluca Di Gioia, 48, from Rome, was attacked on December 22 while swimming around 160 feet from the beach.

His wife watched helplessly as the predator struck.

Mr Di Gioia, who worked for the EU, had been celebrating his birthday abroad with a friend.

The summer prior, a 23-year-old Russian named Vladimir Popov was mauled to death by a tiger shark in Hurghada.

Popov was circled by the shark before being dragged underwater as he cried out for his father to save him.

Horrified onlookers watched as the young man was killed, with the shark later caught and beaten to death on the beach.

And just last March, a tourist submarine sank in Hurghada after diving with its hatches still open.

The Sindbad vessel had dozens of passengers aboard when the accident occurred - killing at least six Russian holidaymakers, including two children.