Police has disclosed the death of a three-year-old girl who died after sucking poisoned breast milk from her mother who was unknowingly bitten by a snake in her sleep .

The 35-year-old woman from Uttar Pradesh state did not realise she had been bitten when she woke and breastfed her daughter.

Police inspector, Vijay Singh said that the three-year-old girl and the mother fell ill on Thursday and both died before they could reach hospital.

The family spotted the snake in another room but the creature escaped.

A post-mortem is to be carried out but police have registered a case of accidental death, the officer added.

India is home to some 300 snake species and 60 are highly venomous, including the Indian cobra, krait, Russell’s viper and saw-scaled viper.

India accounts for 46,000 of the 100,000 snakebite deaths around the world each year, according to a 2011 study by the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.