Thiruvananthapuram | Another snakebite fatality has been reported in Kerala, with an eight-year-old boy dying after he was suspectedly bitten by a venomous reptile while asleep at his house in Azhoor here on Thursday, police said.

The deceased has been identified as Dikshil, the eldest son of Dileep and Anu.

According to officials at Chirayinkeezhu police station, the incident occurred around 2.30 am when the child woke up and complained of being bitten by something.

Though the family checked for any reptile, none was immediately found, police said.

The parents rushed the child to the Taluk Hospital in Chirayinkeezhu, where his condition deteriorated.

He was later shifted to Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital, where he was declared dead, police said.

Following the incident, neighbours searched the house and found an Indian spectacled cobra.

Police officials said the family was living in a temporary shed where there was a high possibility of snakes and other reptiles entering the premises.

Last week, an eight-year-old boy died following a snakebite at his residence in Kodaly in Thrissur district.

In a similar incident, a 75-year-old woman died after a snakebite at Pulimath here on Monday.

Amid severe heat conditions across Kerala, authorities and herpetologists have warned about the increased likelihood of snakes entering houses in search of shade, cooler surroundings and rodents.