A pop star collapsed and died on stage after being bitten mid-performance by a cobra.

Irma Bule, 29, was famous for wearing snakes during her acts and thought the king cobra had been defanged.

Despite being fatally bitten she continued to sing for 45 minutes before she collapsed in front of a stunned audience.

The pop star was performing in the village in Karawang, West Java, in her native Indonesia.

She accidentally trod on the cobra, named Rianti, and it lashed out, sinking its fangs into her leg.

Audience member Ferlando Octavion Auzura told local media: “The accident happened in the middle of the second song when Irma stepped on the snake's tail.

"The snake then bit Irma on her thigh."

The singer reportedly refused an antidote from the snake handler but later began vomiting on stage and suffered a seizure.

She was rushed to hospital where she died.

Police said they are investigating the incident and have interviewed members of the audience.

King cobras are the world's longest venomous snake and grow to around 5.5 metres long.

They can release enough venom in a single bite to kill 20 people or an elephant.

Bule had previously danced with pythons and boa constrictors.

This article originally appeared on TheSun.co.uk.