Shankar Rai, a resident of Birsingpur village in the Samastipur district of Bihar state, was bitten by a snake in his sleep on Saturday night. Upon waking, he realized he was going to die and became emotional. He looked at his wife Amiri and told her that he loved her more than anything and that his dying wish was to perish alongside her. To that end, he sunk his teeth into Amiri's wrist, which she allowed him to do.
Both of them fell unconscious after that and were rushed to the hospital. Doctors were able to neutralize the venom and save Amiri, but Shankur succumbed. "The woman could be saved as her treatment began on time. She is safe now," Dr. Jaykant, who treated Amiri, told local reporters on Monday.
In an interview with India Today, Amiri said that Shankar "told me he loved me too much and want to die together before grabbing my wrist and sinking his teeth into it. I allowed him to do so."
That's either extremely devoted or extremely kinky — or both.
According to the International Society on Toxicology, India leads the world in snakebite fatalities, with about 15,000 people killed each year. Home to deadly serpents like the Indian cobra and the saw-scaled viper, cases like Shankar's are common, particularly in rural and less developed areas.
