Idukki: A postmortem report from the Theni Medical College has declared that 11-year-old Vandiperiyar boy Surya died of snakebite, dismissing the initial suspicion that he succumbed to injuries sustained in a fall while playing at school.

According to his relatives, Surya injured his left leg while playing on August 27. Two days later, he received a massage from a local healer. On Sunday, he felt unwell at the Vandiperiyar bus stand while going to a hospital with his aunt and her husband. He was rushed to a health centre at Vandiperiyar and later to the Medical College, where he was declared dead.

Meanwhile, the headmaster and teachers at the Vandiperiyar Government UP School, where Surya studied, are heartbroken. The headmaster, ST Raj, said Surya excelled in academics and extracurricular activities. “Last year, he won first place in the sub-district work experience fair by making rope mats,” Raj said.

Surya had lived with his aunt Aishwarya since the death of his father, Ayyappan, and mother, Sita, due to illnesses. His body was placed at the Community Hall in Vandiperiyar for public homage and cremated at the Pashumala public crematorium. The Vandiperiyar police have started an investigation into the incident.