By Amie Gordon For Mailonline
Published: 14:44 GMT, 20 February 2019 | Updated: 14:50 GMT, 20 February 2019
View
comments
An inquest has opened into the death of a British backpacker who became the first person ever to have died after being bitten by a sea snake in Australia.
Harry Evans, 23, died on October 4 last year while he was working on a relative's fishing trawler in the sea off the Northern Territory of Australia.
While he was lowering the fishing nets that had been hauled in onto the deck, he was bitten on the thumb by a sea snake.
Harry Evans, pictured here earlier on his trip, died while he was working on a relative's fishing trawler
Mr Evans (on the left) with his twin brother George, died after he was bitten by a sea snake in a net on board the boat
Mr Evans quickly fell ill and lost consciousness and despite the crew's frantic efforts to resuscitate him, he died on board.
It is believed to be the first recorded death from a sea snake in Australia.
His body was later repatriated to the UK and his funeral took place in November.
Shortly after his death, it was revealed how Mr Evans had told crew mates he felt fine before having a shower. But he then began drifting in and out of consciousness and died about an hour later.
His twin brother George, speaking shortly after his death last October, said: 'When you think about being bitten by a snake you go back to all these documentaries that your body shuts down and it is horrendous, but it wasn't.
'It was all very peaceful. He was in and out of consciousness.