Dozens of "Snakes" Spill onto Train Floor?... Chaos Erupts in China Subway, Turns Out to Be Eels

Dozens of Eels Spill Onto Subway Car as Container Tips Over
Passengers Work Together to Gather the Eels Back into the Container

Dozens of live freshwater eels spilled onto the floor of a subway car in Nanjing, China, causing a commotion as passengers scrambled to catch them.

On August 26, Yonhap News TV, citing Chinese social networking services (SNS) and local media, reported on the recent incident involving eels inside a subway in China.

Dozens of live freshwater eels spilled onto the floor of a subway car in Nanjing, China, causing a commotion as passengers tried to catch them all at once. On the 26th, Yonhap News TV, citing local media such as Xiandai Kuaibao and Beijing News, reported on the recent eel incident that occurred inside a Chinese subway. SNS

The incident occurred around 5 p.m. on August 17 on Nanjing Metro Line S3. At that time, the train was traveling from Gojachung Station toward Nanjing South Station, and as it was passing near Jingmingjiayuan Station, a red plastic container being carried by a male passenger fell over. Inside the container were dozens of freshwater eels, commonly found in China. As the container tipped, the inner plastic bag also opened, causing the eels to spill out all at once onto the subway floor.

The footage released shows live eels crawling around on the floor of the train car and underneath the seats. Because the eels are long and slender, some viewers of the video initially mistook them for snakes. Although the owner of the eels tried urgently to catch them, their slippery bodies made it difficult, prompting other nearby passengers to join in. Passengers crouched down on the floor, grabbing the eels with their bare hands and returning them to the container. Some eels managed to slip out of people’s hands and continued wriggling around the carriage for a while.

With the help of passengers, the scattered eels were collected again. The Nanjing Metro reportedly contacted the person who recorded the video afterwards to inform them that cleaning work would be carried out on the relevant train car. SNS

A passenger who recorded the scene told local media, "The container fell over, and it seemed the bag inside wasn’t properly tied. When the owner couldn’t catch all the eels, other passengers helped out together." With the help of passengers, the scattered eels were collected again. The Nanjing Metro reportedly contacted the person who recorded the video afterwards to inform them that cleaning work would be carried out on the relevant train car.

This incident has sparked public interest in the regulations for bringing live seafood onto subways. The Nanjing Metro Customer Center explained to local media that live poultry such as chickens, ducks, and geese are not permitted on the subway, but edible seafood like fish can be brought in if properly packaged and sealed in a container. The total weight of items carried by each passenger must not exceed 20 kilograms. According to Nanjing’s rail transit regulations, passengers are prohibited from bringing live poultry, animals such as cats and dogs, and any items that may affect the safety of other passengers, compromise train hygiene, or disrupt operating order onto the train.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.