Watch: Snakes On A Plane has a sequel - Eels At An Airport, after cargo mishap in Canada

New fear unlocked.

Though no snakes were involved, you’d be forgiven for thinking of Samuel L Jackson after watching this video.

A video of eels escaping and writhing on a tarmac after a cargo box tipped over at a Canadian airport went viral on social media, prompting many to reminisce about the 2006 movie Snakes on a Plane.

On July 7, a shipment of eels was being handled from Toronto to Vancouver when a container box spilled by accident during unloading, Air Canada Cargo said in a statement.

The video, most likely taken anonymously by an employee, shows a swarm of eels slithering on the tarmac, while more slowly exit a tilted open cargo box and fall from the conveyor belt. A worker watches the scene before him while another person is heard shrieking in the background.

Meanwhile in Vancouver 👀✈️ pic.twitter.com/DzkElldXEP

— Breaking Aviation News & Videos (@aviationbrk) July 10, 2024

It’s unclear how the eels escaped, though Air Canada said they were quickly retrieved and repackaged.

They said they were in touch with the customer of the shipment about the incident.

Many took to social media to express their shock, their fears - and their endless supply of Snakes on a Plane memes.

Somebody call Samu-“Eel” L. Jackson quick. 😬

— Ken Rudulph (@MrKenRudulphTV) July 10, 2024

One Giphy was shared more widely than others on X in response to the eel video: The scene where Neville Flynn, played by Samuel L Jackson in the 2006 movie, said: “Enough is enough! I’ve had it with these motherf***ing snakes on this motherf***ing plane! Everbody strap in”.

Another user commented: “New fear unlocked”.

There have been more reported incidents of snakes escaping at airports or on planes than eels.

Two months ago, airport security officers in Miami found a slithering surprise — a bag of snakes hidden in a passenger’s pants.

In May, travellers on an AirAsia flight from Bangkok to the resort island of Phuket were alarmed to spot something slithering through the overhead storage.

In December, a python fell from a plane arriving from Brisbane onto Queenstown Airport’s runway. According to the Otago Daily Times, the animal was later decapitated with a shovel.