In South Africa, a pilot found a poisonous cobra under his seat during a flight and made a quick emergency landing. He was with four passengers in a small plane on a domestic flight between two small towns when he felt something cold on his leg, the local newspaper "Times Live" reported.

When pilot Rudolph Erasmus looked down, he saw the cobra rolled up under his seat, he said, according to the newspaper. The bite of a cobra has life-threatening, neurotoxic effects that can lead to death within 30 minutes to four hours.

Erasmus was hailed by colleagues on Wednesday as a hero with iron nerves. After a moment of bewilderment, he informed passengers of the planned emergency landing, Erasmus said. Above all, he did not want to panic. The plane was at the time at 3300 meters altitude.

After a few minutes, the Beechcraft Baron, a twin-engine piston aircraft, touched down safely on the runway of the small town of Welkom. The passengers had been slowly disembarked and brought to safety. The "uninvited guest" has been able to escape in the meantime and will continue to be sought, according to Erasmus.