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Snake spotted slithering through airport departure lounge in the Philippines

Serpent casually made its way through an airport in the Philippines

Toyin Owoseje
Saturday 15 September 2018 22:29 BST
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Hollywood movie Snakes On A Plane may have been unrealistic, but life almost imitated art when a black rat snake was spotted slithering through a waiting area of an airport in the Philippines.

Alarmed passengers waiting for their flights at the Daniel Z Romualdez Airport saw the serpent slithering across the main departure lounge of the airport terminal.

Although the creature isn't venomous, its presence sparked panic amongst travellers.

Incredibly, the predator, which feeds on rodents and birds, had managed to pass through both passport control and airport security.

Onlooker Leon Anover told The Mirror that he was catching a plane with his wife when he noticed the animal.

"I couldn't believe there was a snake in the airport. It's not what anybody would expect,” he said.

"A lot of people were frightened. It was quite exciting and but also funny."

Footage posted online showed airport security staff using a long pole to pin the snake down before putting it into a bag. The snake was reportedly released back into the wild in bushes near the airport.

A spokesman for the airport said nobody was injured by the reptile.

''The snake was also not harmed and it's now safe. We don't know how it got past security,” he added. ''There was a bit of commotion but it settled down and no planes were affected. There was no danger to any passengers."

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