More than 100 snakes invaded a Ukrainian railroad building, forcing workers inside to evacuate the premises and so halting rail traffic for several hours, according to a Tuesday Fakty newspaper report.
The incident took place in Ukraine’s south-eastern steppe zone along a rail line connecting the cities Donetsk and Mariupol.
Workers discovered the snakes after opening a regularly used building containing switching equipment.
The Ukrainian steppe is a native habitat to both the European and Asian varieties of the highly poisonous asp. The rail workers’ retreat from the building shut down train traffic through the switching station.
Naturalists from a nearby wildlife preserve arrived on the scene later in the day, collected the reptiles, removed the snakes to unpopulated terrain and released them without incident.
Viktor Sirenko, a spokesperson for the Kamennie Mohili Nature Preserve, said the snakes likely chose the railroad building for their new home after being disturbed in underground burrows nearby. — Sapa-DPA