Passengers on India's Swatantrata Senani Superfast Express were rattled when a snake disappeared into a hidden compartment above an upper berth. When repeated searches failed to find it, railway officials removed that coach and attached another in its place.
Here's what to know
Train 12561 was on its Jaynagar-to-New Delhi run when passengers reported the sighting in A2, the AC 2-Tier coach, according to Hindustan Times. After the 5:30 p.m. departure from Jaynagar, travelers said a snake entered a covered space above an upper berth, prompting them to notify the attendant, the TTE, and railway control.
Video recorded by fellow passenger Arun Thakur appears to capture the moment the snake entered the panel while concern spread through the compartment. When the train got to Darbhanga, the animal could no longer be seen and was believed to have moved farther inside the paneling.
Crew members removed the panel to check the area, but they did not locate the snake. The train kept moving, passing through Samastipur on the way to Muzaffarpur Junction.
More background
At roughly 9:38 p.m., after arriving in Muzaffarpur, railway personnel and Carriage and Wagon staff had passengers step out so they could search the coach for nearly an hour.
Inside the sealed AC coach, with overhead panels, berths, and luggage, passengers did not know where the snake was.
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What's being done?
East Central Railway said staff began acting on the report before the train reached Muzaffarpur. East Central Railway chief public relations officer Saraswati Chandra said, "Two staff members escorted the suspected coach from Samastipur to Muzaffarpur. They opened the panels near seat number 34, but nothing was found."
Inspectors concentrated on the hidden sections where the snake was said to have vanished.
Because the reptile still hadn't been found, authorities removed the coach and brought in a replacement. Railway staff used announcements and direct assistance to move passengers into the newly attached coach.
Saraswati Chandra said the final decision came down to passenger safety: "However, as an extra precaution and to ensure the safety of passengers, we replaced the suspected coach at Muzaffarpur with another coach and detached the old coach."
Where can I learn more?
Snakes have turned up in plenty of unsettling places beyond this coach on the Swatantrata Senani Express, as these articles cover.
• In another Indian coach, a snake glided down the aisle as passengers scrambled.
• In Sydney, a venomous snake slithered through a crowded train station, sparking chaos.
• On a TUI flight from Cancun, a stowaway snake vanished before anyone spotted it.
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