SCORPIONS ON A PLANE
Terrifying moment plane passengers find a live SCORPION in the overhead cabin
The 12-inch long arachnid resembled a poisonous Asian forest scorpion - one of the most aggressive scorpions found in Indonesia
THIS is the terrifying moment passengers found a live scorpion crawling out of the overhead luggage compartment.
The Lion Air flight left Indonesia on Thursday evening bound for Jakarta, and passengers in the 19th row received a horrible welcome gift when they landed.
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A woman opened the baggage shelf and the venomous creature scampered out - sparking panic among those on-board the Boeing 737.
It was seen crawling along the side of the plastic compartment, it's large pincer and stinging tail prominent, before disappearing into the plane's fittings.
The 12-inch long dark black arachnid resembled a poisonous Asian forest scorpion - one of the most aggressive scorpions found in Indonesia which is known to sting its victims.
When we saw the scorpion above our heads we rushed out as fast as we could.
Karim Taslin, passenger
Onlooker Karim Taslin said: ''When the plane had landed, one passenger was taking their things out of the compartment, that's when suddenly the scorpion appeared above our seat.
''I was in row 19 with two other passengers, an elderly married couple. When we saw the scorpion above our heads we rushed out as fast as we could.''
Concerned cabin crew came to see what had caused the panic and began searching for the critter, which had already disappeared back inside the plane's roof.
I didn't have time to catch the scorpion. So it disappeared into the cabin baggage area
Karim Taslin, passenger
It’s not known how long the scorpion had been inside the plane, but it is believed to have been living deep within the aircraft for at least a week.
Karim added: ''I didn't have time to catch the scorpion. So it disappeared into the cabin baggage area. I pressed the emergency button. There was no response, so I shouted for help.
''But at that time the atmosphere in the cabin was crowded with passengers picking up their luggage, so the crew were also slow to arrive at row 19.
''When I think back it makes me shiver. The scorpion could have dropped on our heads and stung us.''
Lion Air said in a statement on Friday the plane had been sprayed a week earlier to remove any creatures. They are now investigating and claimed the creature ''looked like a spider''.
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Spokesman Danang Mandala Prihantoro said: ''From the observations according to the photograph and video, the animal resembles a spider.
''Ground service officers and technicians immediately carried out in-depth search and thorough handling of the aircraft after the passengers and cargo were removed, but no animals were found.''
It's been a tough week for the airline, with a plane skidding off a runway in Indonesia after a terrifying landing in a heavy storm.
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