Snake on a plane causes emergency landing

A 48-year-old Jordanian passenger was responsible for bringing the Egyptian cobra onboard. He owns a reptile shop in Kuwait and had hidden the Egyptian cobra in a carry-on bag. The passenger was trying to control the snake after it bit his hand and started slithering under the seats.

The plane resumed its flight to Kuwait after local authorities confiscated the snake when it made the emergency landing in the resort town of Ghardaqa on the Red Sea.

The man refused medical treatment, claiming the wound was superficial.

According to wildlife experts, the cobra's venom is so deadly it can kill a full-grown elephant in three hours or a person in about 15 minutes. The venom destroys nerve tissue and causes paralysis and death because of respiratory failure.

Legend has it that in ancient times, the Egyptian queen Cleopatra used an Egyptian cobra -- also known as an asp -- to commit suicide.