Poisonous snakes cause panic on bus in Vietnam

A bus travelling through central Vietnam was evacuated when dozens of poisonous snakes escaped from a sack, dpa cited news reports as saying Thursday. The bus stopped shortly after setting off from Da Nang city on its way to Quy Nhon City on Wednesday after a passenger saw a snake at her feet, newspaper Tuoi Tre reported. "I felt something tickle my legs and saw a snake," the newspaper quoted passenger Huynh Thi Diep as saying. Diep screamed and alerted other passengers, according to the report. The snakes, all common kraits, were caught or killed within 30 minutes, the newspaper said. No one was bitten. The snakes escaped from two sacks given to the driver for delivery en route, police-run newspaper An Ninh Thu Do reported. The driver said he did not know what was inside the sacks at the time. A police investigation was under way to find the owner of the snakes. Kraits are the most common species in Vietnam.