Drivers and passengers at the Neoplan Station in Kumasi were terrified when it emerged that three species of snake, measuring about a metre long, were on board a bus from Accra to Kumasi on Thursday.

The bus, with registration number GT 2584-16, was grounded when baggage handlers discovered the reptiles.

The snakes were reportedly concealed in a sack which also contained tubers of yam and some strange items, usually used for voodoo (juju) rituals.

The drivers looked frightened at the sight of the snakes, yet they mustered courage and killed the dangerous reptiles.

Sources said the Accra/Kumasi bound bus arrived safely at the Neoplan Station at Asafo at about 3pm and the passengers offloaded their luggage and moved away.

Later on, the driver saw a sack at the boot of the bus and thought a passenger forgot and left his goods in the vehicle.

The driver then decided to take the sack, which contained some unknown items and tied firmly at the top, to their office so that the owner could come for it later.

It was not immediately clear how they got onto the bus, but some people conjectured that the reptiles might have been transported from Accra to Kumasi by someone they could not identify.

They believed the owner inadvertently left the dangerous creatures in the bus.

The strange news attracted a huge crowd of people who thronged the bus terminal to catch a glimpse of the reptiles.

The development caused huge vehicular traffic on the Asafo-Stadium road.

DAILY GUIDE was told that a certain young man later killed the snakes after reciting some incantations that were believed to have magical effect.

Panic-stricken people, according to witnesses, began to run helter-skelter as the young man pulled the snakes out of the containers before administering spiritual tranquiliser to tame them.