Poisonous snakes cause panic on Vietnamese bus

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Six poisonous snakes escaped from a bag and slithered across the floor of a bus in Vietnam, sparking screams and a hurried evacuation. But nobody was bitten.

A police officer says passengers and villagers killed all of the highly venomous kraits after the bus made a quick stop in Quang Nam province. The bus had been traveling from Quang Nam to Binh Dinh with 14 people aboard.

The police officer — who spoke on condition of anonymity citing department policy — says somebody who wasn't a passenger put the bag on the bus and paid the driver to transport it. It wasn't immediately clear if the snakes were being transported legally.

Snakes are a delicacy in some Vietnamese restaurants, and an ingredient in some traditional liquors.