PYTHON SWALLOWS WOMAN WHOLE IN INDONESIA. (PHOTO).

 Python swallows woman whole in Indonesia

A missing woman was found eaten alive by a massive python after locals cut her body out of the snake in Indonesia.

Farida, 45, went missing on Thursday night. Her body was discovered inside the reticulated python Friday by her husband and residents of Kalempang village in South Sulawesi province, a local official said, according to AFP.

The search for the missing mother of four began after she failed to return home Thursday night, village chief Suardi Rosi told AFP.

Her husband "found her belongings… which made him suspicious. The villagers then searched the area. They soon spotted a python with a large belly," Suardi said.

"They agreed to cut open the python's stomach. As soon as they did, Farida's head was immediately visible." 

The missing woman was found fully clothed inside the massive snake, which was reported to be at least 16 feet long.

Her husband, identified as Noni, expressed regret that he let his wife go out on her own. "If I had been with her that day, the snake would not have dared to touch her," he said, according to ViralPress. 

"I feel sorry for the suffering she went through. I am sorry for our family," he said. 

Such incidents are incredibly rare, but not unheard of in Indonesia.

Last year, residents of Southeast Sulawesi's Tinanggea district killed a monster 26-foot-long python, which was found strangling and eating a local farmer, according to AFP. 

In 2018, a 54-year-old woman was found dead inside a 23-foot-long snake in Southeast Sulawesi's Muna town. 

And in the previous year, a farmer in West Sulawesi disappeared and was later found being eaten alive by a 13 foot python at a palm oil planation, AFP reported.

The reticulated python is considered the world's longest snake and is indigenous to Indonesia, the Philippines, India and Borneo. The longest reticulated python ever discovered was 32 feet in length and weighed an incredible 350 pounds, according to Reptiles Magazine.

Its natural diet is mainly rodents, but larger snakes have been known to feed on pigs, civets, bearcats and even primates.

Federal law prohibits reticulated pythons from being imported to the United States, except with a permit for zoological, educational, medical and scientific purposes. 

Some reptile enthusiasts may breed them as pets, but they require lots of space due to their size and should only be cared for by dedicated and prepared keepers, according to Reptile Supply.