Panic Among Ground Staff After Snake Spotted At New Islamabad Airport

In a rare incident, a snake appeared in the apron area of the newly-built Islamabad International Airport (IIA) today, creating confusion and panic among the on-duty ground staff, according to a media report.

This is the second incident of animal being found inside the airport premises.

Earlier this month, an IIA airport manager was dismissed by the country's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) after a video of five stray dogs, wandering outside the airport's lounge in the basement, went viral.

"A snake was sighted on the IIA's apron area - commonly known as the tarmac - where airplanes are parked, loaded, fuelled and boarded," the Dawn reported.

The sudden appearance of the serpent panicked on-duty staff, who scrambled for safety amidst confusion and panic, it said.

According to airport staff, this was not the first time that a snake has been spotted on the Islamabad airport's premises. They alleged that the airport management "always turns a blind eye" and fails to address complaints of this nature.

Officials of the Airport Security Force (ASF) also said that the trauma centre located within the facility does not have anti-venom or medicines to treat animal or reptilian bites.

But the CAA sought to downplay the incident, saying the snake was not poisonous.

"The snake was not of the poisonous variety, like a cobra. It was the regular, harmless kind. It emerged in an area where only staff members have access and no passengers ever go there," CAA spokesperson Farah Hussain was quoted as saying in the report.

Hussain further said that during the rainy season snakes often come out in search of dry area. "The snake does not know this is an airport," she remarked.