Two boys strangled to death as python escapes pet store

A PYTHON escaped from its enclosure at a pet store in Canada, slithered through a ventilation system into an upstairs apartment and killed two young boys as they slept.

The boys, aged five and seven, were visiting the apartment of a friend above Reptile Ocean, an exotic pet store in Campbellton, New Brunswick, said Constable Julie Rogers-Marsh.

Police arrived at the apartment around 6.30am yesterday and found the two boys dead. A friend of the boys was sleeping in another room and was unharmed.

CAPTURED

The snake escaped from its enclosure sometime during the night and was believed to have made its way into the apartment through the ventilation system.

"It's believed the two boys were strangled by the snake," she said.

The snake was captured and is in the possession of police.

Rogers-Marsh said post-mortem examinations were to be performed on the two victims today. She couldn't confirm whether the two boys were related.

"It's very unusual and very tragic and difficult for everyone involved," she said.

The town's deputy mayor, Ian Comeau, said Reptile Ocean was licensed to operate and "everything was according to our bylaws, to the provincial guidelines".

Comeau said he saw alligators, crocodiles and snakes when he toured the shop with the fire department about two years ago.