Snake on a train: Indonesian kills serpent with bare hands

JAKARTA: An Indonesian man who used his bare hands to kill a snake that was discovered slithering on a busy commuter train has become an Internet hero.

The train made an emergency stop after the reptile was spotted lurking on a baggage rack in a carriage headed to Jakarta from Bogor, south of the capital.

Smart phone footage, which quickly went viral, showed the bespectacled man casually snatch the snake’s tail in a violent whipping motion.

The creature was apparently killed instantly as shocked spectators— including a baton-wielding transit

backpack then tossed its limp body, which appeared to be about one meter (three feet) long, out the door to waiting security staff.

It is not clear what kind of serpent it was, nor whether it was venomous. No injuries to passengers were reported.

Train operator KCI said the reptile is thought to have slithered out from a passenger’s bag.

“We regret the incident and apologies to train travelers who were disturbed by it,” spokeswoman Eva Chairunnisa told Agence France-Presse.

It is not uncommon to see livestock or pets traveling on public transport in rural Indonesia, but passengers are prohibited from taking animals on urban transport lines.