Indian Town Invaded by Venomous Spiders, 2 Dead So Far

In a move that is baffling scientists, hundreds of thousands of venomous spiders have invaded an Indian town and no one can tell why they came or why they are there. According to the Times of India the arachnids moved into the town in a swarm during a Hindu Festival and latched onto and bit anything that moved or breathed.

Doctors are scrambling to figure out which type of venom the spiders emit so they can fight the deadly creatures. The spiders have already claimed two lives, Purnakanta Buragohain and an unidentified male. Many residents have been horribly injured. Jintu Gogoi told the Times he was in the hospital for an entire day experiencing massive pain and throwing up. He had only been bit on his finger

Residents said that the spiders were highly aggressive and invaded the town in waves.

Dibrugarh University Dr. L.R. Saikia told Fox News,

“It [the spiders] leaps at anything that comes close. Some of the victims claimed the spider latched on to them after biting. If that is so, it needs to be dealt with carefully. The chelicerae and fangs of this critter are quite powerful.”

The town of Sadiya, where the spiders are located, have considered breaking out the pesticide DDT and spraying the entire town. They understand the health risks of the insecticide but say they have little other options.

The town has flown in a group of spider experts in order to determine if the spiders are tarantulas, black wishbones or funnel-web spiders. The experts are generally in agreement that whichever species of spiders it is that invaded Sadiya, they are not indigenous to the area.

Researchers are also still trying to identify what level of toxicity is in the spider’s venom.