A routine metro ride in Nanjing took a decidedly slippery turn after dozens of live rice eels escaped from plastic buckets and began wriggling across the floor of a crowded train carriage. The bizarre scene unfolded on Nanjing Metro Line 2 on August 17, 2026, with passengers suddenly finding themselves recruited into an unexpected eel-catching operation. Videos circulating online show commuters squatting down and trying to grab the slippery creatures with their bare hands before returning them to the buckets. Some eels reportedly slipped into gaps beneath the seats, making the rescue even trickier. For passengers expecting a normal journey, this was one commute that definitely went off the rails.
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