STOWAWAY

Flight Canceled After Rat Causes Chaos in the Cabin

It is not known how the stowaway made it onto the passenger plane.

A plane carrying 250 people was canceled before it completed its journey after a rat was allegedly found on board, according to the Independent. The KLM Airbus A330 was on its way to the Caribbean with stops first at Aruba and then at Bonaire. The plane was grounded in Aruba after the rodent was reportedly spotted in the cabin, crawling over the top of a curtain rail and leaping onto the overhead bins, while over the Atlantic Ocean. When they touched down, those on board were told the next leg to Bonaire would not go ahead, and a deep clean was ordered, the Independent reported. “The rat was discovered over the ocean,” a KLM spokesperson told Dutch media. “Very unfortunate for the passengers who had to experience this.” Dutch outlet RTL News reported that the crew kept an eye on the rat for the remainder of the journey, and that the pilot was effectively left with no choice but to continue to Aruba. “We don’t know how the animal got on board,” a KLM spokesperson told RTL.