Holiday horror as passenger is stung by scorpion mid-flight

A passenger got a nasty surprise as he dipped his hand into his bag on board a flight from Dakar to Nantes. The unnamed man, 46, yelled out in pain when a scorpion stung him on his index finger.

The traveller and his family were en route to France on Saturday after taking a trip to the desert as part of a trip to the African country.

Cabin crew rushed to the man’s aid, looking after him until the Transavia airline plane landed at Nantes-Atlantique airport.

A member of staff called over the plane’s tannoy for a doctor or someone with medical skills to help.

Responding to the call, a biologist leapt up to help, giving the man an anti-inflammatory and painkiller.

He later told local media: “In these circumstances, it is often cardiac shock due to the scorpion’s venom that can be extremely serious for frail or elderly people.”

Meanwhile, the scorpion was carefully placed in bag which was then sealed and stored in one of the jet’s toilets, according to news website Presse Océan.

The man was taken to Nantes University Hospital by waiting emergency service staff while the predatory creature was handed over to association INF-Faune in Couëron.

It said the sting of the scorpion is not fatal for an adult, but it could kill a young child or elderly person.

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Philippe Gillet, a herpetologist based in Couëron, near Nantes, took the scorpion in.

An animal lover, Mr Gillet keeps 400 exotic pets at his home, including iguanas, snakes and spiders.

He was called by the airport’s fire brigade. He said: “They sent me a photo and I came straight away. I’m used to it.”

News of the stowaway comes after another scorpion escaped on board a British Airways flight from Austin, Texas, to London Heathrow.

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British Airways (BA) apologised after the creepy crawly’s escape sparked a mid-air search by cabin crew.

Passengers were moved away from the search area, but luckily no one was injured.

BA told LBC in a statement: “The safety of our customers is our highest priority and we’re sorry for any concern caused by this highly unusual event.”

Meanwhile, a huge walrus was spotted basking in the sun on the west coast of Scotland on Monday.

Creel fisherman Lorn MacRae came across the Arctic animal hauled out on rocks in the Treshnish Isles, near the Isle of Mull.

Based on photos taken of the visitor, the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust described the walrus as “massive”.

The marine charity, which has been monitoring wildlife off Scotland’s west coast for over 25 years, said the sighting was the first record of a walrus on its database.

Anyone who encounters the walrus has been asked to report their sighting on the app Whale Track.

This will allow the animal’s movements and overall health to be monitored.

It is not the first time the species has been spotted around the British coastline.

A walrus nicknamed Thor was seen on the south and east coasts of England in December and early January, before turning up in Iceland last week.

Additional reporting by Maria Ortega

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