A French backpacker has tragically died after reportedly being bitten by a snake while he was on a working holiday in Australia.
The 25-year-old man was working as a casual grain harvester — a seasonal job that typically includes general labour and grain sampling — in a small town in the Mallee region in northwestern Victoria.
He is believed to have been bitten by a highly venomous brown snake.
Emergency services were called to a property in Nullawil on October 24 after the man was found unresponsive by a friend.
He was flown to the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne some 300km away in a critical condition, suffering from cardiac arrest.
It’s understood the man’s life support was switched off two days later.
Wade Humphreys, who owns the Access Grain site in Nullawil where the backpacker was employed on a working holiday visa, said the man was found with puncture wounds on his ankle.
His death was a “real tragedy”, Mr Humphreys told the ABC. He said it was unclear whether the man was bitten while working at the grain receival or elsewhere.
A Victoria Police spokesperson said a report will be prepared for the coroner. The man’s cause of death has not yet been determined.
A WorkSafe spokesperson said the body was aware of the man’s death.
“WorkSafe has been notified of the incident and inspectors will determine whether further action is required,” they said.
A spokesperson for the French embassy said it was aware of the fatality but could not comment further.
The brown snake is the second most venomous snake in the world, second only to the inland taipan, which is also native to Australia.
Brown snakes are considered the deadliest snakes in Australia, given that they are responsible for more snake bite deaths than any other snake in the country.
Still, snake bite fatalities are relatively rare in Australia. About two people per year die after being bitten by a snake.