Train passengers had to abandon their luggage and stampede through a carriage after a stowaway snake was spotted.
About halfway through the journey, they noticed the slithering fare dodger on the floor.
Commuters jumped to their feet to clear the carriage, even sacrificing their luggage in the process.
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They even trampled on each other’s feet to get away as quickly as possible.
The Frecciarossa high-speed train was travelling from Lecce in southern Italy to Milan in the north when the snake appeared about halfway through the journey.
Due to the scare, the Red Arrow train made an emergency stop at Ancona railway station located east of Florence yesterday (6 Mar).
Police officers and forest rangers were on hand to deal with the slippery stowaway.
They soon realised the snake was hiding in an air vent and were forced to dismantle part of the ventilation system to extract it.
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Meanwhile, passengers had to evacuate the carriages and continue their journey to Milan on a different train, as reported by What’s The Jam.
In the end, the troublesome reptile turned out to be a harmless corn snake.
The authorities suspect that a passenger was transporting it in their luggage, but no one has come forward to claim it yet.
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One local said: “It must have escaped from a broken terrarium.”
“At least it was only a corn snake,” added Marcel.
Salvatore said: “Poor thing, how scared it must have been.”
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