Indonesian man found dead inside giant python

An Indonesian farmer has been discovered inside the belly of a giant python after the swollen snake was caught near where the man vanished while harvesting his crops, an official has said.

The body of 25-year-old man was found when local people cut open the 23 foot python after it was found bloated and slithering awkwardly in the village of Salubiro, on the eastern island of Sulawesi on Monday.

"We were immediately suspicious that the snake had swallowed Akbar [the missing man] because around the site we found palm fruit, his harvesting tool and a boot," a senior village official said.

Worried relatives launched a search for the man after he failed to return home from a trip to the family's plantation on Sunday. The official said the snake had swallowed the farmer whole, adding that it was the only such fatality recorded in the region.

The breed of snake, which regularly tops 20 feet, is commonly found in Indonesia and the Philippines.

While the serpents have been known to attack small animals, attempts to eat people are rare.

In 2013, a security guard on the tourist island of Bali was killed by a python at a luxury beachfront hotel.