A real-life version of the movie 'Snakes on a Plane' unfolded on a recent Tui flight from Cancun, Mexico to London Gatwick, United Kingdom, leaving airline staff panicked and a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner completely grounded. According to a report published in an Australia-based digital daily, even after four days of the incident, the poisonous snake is still on the loose somewhere inside the aircraft.
What Really Happened?
The snake—believed to be a 'mildly venomous' mock viper—somehow escaped and crawled around the cabin during the overnight flight. Remarkably, none of the 345 passengers on board ever noticed their slithering seatmate. It wasn't until the plane landed and the passengers disembarked that a horrified cleaner spotted the reddish-brown stowaway. An airport worker managed to snap a quick photo of the snake before it vanished into the plane's structure.
A State of Panic Caused by the Viper
'The sight of the snake almost gave the airline cleaners a heart attack,' a source told The Sun. 'But by the time they had raised the alarm, the animal had disappeared.' Since Friday, engineers and animal experts have been tearing the plane apart in a desperate bid to locate the reptile, but with no luck. Because of the potential risk the snake poses to the plane's internal wiring and mechanics, the aircraft has been pulled from service.
The staff believes that the snake was brought by a passenger. Noting that if passengers had spotted it mid-flight at 30,000 feet, it would have caused 'blind panic and pandemonium.' Tui insiders have compared the ongoing search to 'trying to find a needle in a haystack' but confirmed they are following all International Civil Aviation Organization guidelines to resolve the situation. The airline has been contacted for comment.
The bizarre incident mirrors the plot of the 2006 cult classic Snakes on a Plane, where Samuel L. Jackson plays an FBI agent dealing with a swarm of deadly serpents released mid-flight. Fortunately for these passengers, they slept right through the drama.
Would you like to be a part of this scary adventure? What's your take on this?
