A South African pilot is being hailed for successfully making an emergency landing after noticing a cobra coiled under his seat, local media report.
Rudolph Erasmus was flying four passengers from Cape Town to the northern town of Nelspruit on Monday morning but was forced to cut short the journey after he felt something cold on his body, he told Times Live news website.
"As I turned to my left and looked down, I saw the [Cape] cobra putting its head back underneath my seat," he is quoted as saying.
The bite of a Cape cobra can kill a man in 30 minutes.
South African civil aviation commissioner has hailed Mr Erasmus as a hero, news24 website reports.
"Great airmanship indeed which saved all lives on board," Poppy Khosa is quoted as saying.
The pilot said he was unsure if he should tell his passengers after spotting the snake during the flight. He said he didn't want to cause a panic.
“I just said, 'listen, there's a problem. The snake is inside the aircraft. I've got a feeling it's under my seat so we are going to have to get the plane on the ground as soon as possible,” he is quoted as saying.
He managed to make an emergency landing at Welkom.
Engineers who stripped the plane did not find the snake, Mr Erasmus said.
He hopes to fly out of the plane on Wednesday.
Latest Stories
-
Elon Musk is sued over $1m election giveaway
15 seconds -
US official sees little voting disruption tied to foreign interference
9 mins -
Nigeria court frees 119 protesters after government drops charges
19 mins -
French families sue TikTok over harmful content
31 mins -
Slapping MP shows generational change may not end abuse of power in Nigeria
42 mins -
Zimbabwe bans police from using mobile phones while on duty
54 mins -
Killers of Ugandan Olympian sentenced to 35 years
1 hour -
Elon Musk to spend election night with Donald Trump
1 hour -
Accusations fly in Spain over who is to blame for flood disaster
1 hour -
UCL: Real Madrid lose to AC Milan in second straight home defeat
1 hour -
Queen Camilla cancels events due to chest infection
2 hours -
Economy is growing below potential – IEA
2 hours -
UCL: Gyokeres hat-trick as Amorim’s Sporting thrash Man City
2 hours -
Equatorial Guinea VP warns against office sex after viral videos
2 hours -
Netflix Europe offices raided in tax fraud probe
2 hours