A Form 6 student died after a black mamba bit her in class. Melody Chiputura, a student who has since died, passed away 30 minutes after the highly poisonous snake bit her.
The sad thing happened at Rushinga High School in the Zimbabwean province of Mashonaland Central.
The Herald, a daily newspaper, says that the 17-year-old student went to play sports with her classmates.
When she went back to the classroom after sports, the black mamba hit her on the thigh. It had gotten into the classroom in some way.
The poisonous viper was killed right away by the other students. Melody was being taken to the hospital when she died within 30 minutes.
She was buried at Kanyemba village in Rushinga on Saturday.
Melody's father, Mr. Joseph Chiputura, is a council member for Ward 13 in Rushinga. He told the Herald,
"Ten minutes after she was bitten, she called us. When we got to the hospital, it was already too late. This is painful and hard to accept. I don't know how a snake got into my daughter's classroom and bit her.
"My daughter was very smart and loved to go to school. She put a lot of hope in school, so we had to make sure she had everything she needed. She was studying History, Psychology, and Religion, and her dream was to become a psychologist.
Zimbabwe School Girl Dies After Being Bitten By Black Mamba During Class
Melody Chiputura, a schoolgirl in Zimbabwe, died after a black mamba bit her. [Image: @ZBCNewsonline on Twitter]
The head of Rushinga High School, Mr. Christopher Murenga, said this about the shocking event:
"It was Thursday, and according to the school schedule, all students went to sports activities. Around 3:50 p.m., the students went back to class to get ready to leave for the day.
"She sat at her usual desk, which was the third desk from the wall. Two of her classmates were sitting at the desks in front of her. She screamed right away, saying that something had bitten her.
"When the students saw the snake, everyone got scared, and some even jumped out of windows. Some of the boys took Melody outside and began calling for help.
After that, the headmaster said,
"Her parents got there in 20 minutes with someone who had traditional herbs with them.
"At the same time, we called Chimhanda Hospital, and the doctor told us to bring Melody and the snake, which had already been killed by students," he said.
"She died while being taken to the hospital. We're so surprised, and we don't know where this snake came from. The classroom building is a long way from places where snakes might live.
The head of the school went on to say that the traumatized students were getting counseling after a classmate died.
The deputy director of education for the province, Dr. Themba Mangwiro, said that the event was shocking and unusual.