A PILOT was bitten by a tarantula and suffered an allergic reaction in a horrifying mid-air drama.
The spider crept onto the plane during a stopover in the Moroccan city of Casablanca before the jet carried on to Spain.
The Iberia plane’s onward journey was delayed so it could be fumigated and the pilot treated with anti-inflammatory medicine.
Iberia Airbus A320 flying between Dusseldorf in Germany and Madrid’s Barajas Airport on Friday afternoon when the pilot was attacked by the critter.
It is understood the spider crawled onto the plane earlier in the week in Casablanca.
The plane was fumigated when it reached the Spanish capital, prompting a three-hour delay.
Passengers were forced to wait to board for its onward journey to the Galician city of Vigo being informed about what had happened.
The pilot is said to have been treated with Urbason, the marketing name for a medication called Methylprednisolone.
It is widely used in the treatment of inflammatory diseases and to reduce the inflammation and symptoms associated with severe allergic reactions.
Iberia Airlines has said he is doing fine and has suffered no lasting health effects.
After leaving Casablanca to return to Madrid on Tuesday, the plane the spider appeared on had touched down in cities including Brussels, Zurich and Toulouse.
Galician newspaper La Voz de Galicia said some passengers were constantly checking their seats and the aisle for fear other spiders had got onto the plane despite the fumigation before it touched down in Vigo around midnight on Friday.
Last November a plane was grounded for five days after more than 130 hamsters in the hold managed to escape their cages as maintenance workers tried to round up the power-eating rodents.
Baggage handlers are said to have discovered the cages the animals were in had been damaged and 132 of them were roaming around the cargo hold when the jet touched down in the Azores archipelago capital Ponta Delgada on Sao Miguel Island.
The hamsters were reportedly part of a delivery for a pet shop on the island which also included ferrets and some birds.
The mass four-legged break-out prevented the aircraft from returning to the Portuguese capital Lisbon where it had started its journey.
Last January chaos erupted on a domestic AirAsia Thailand flight between Bangkok and the southern province of Phuket after a live snake was discovered by passengers in an overhead bin.
In February 2022, a spotted python was found onboard one of the airline’s domestic flights in Malaysia traveling from the capital Kuala Lumpur to Sabah.
The plane ended up being re-routed to Kuching International Airport in the state of Sarawak because of the incident.
Videos and photos of the 2022 incident went viral on social media and showed the reptile slithering through the plane’s light fixtures.
The airline said in a statement at the time: “This is a very rare incident which can occur on any aircraft from time to time.”
JAMIE CARRAGHER was shut down by both Daniel Sturridge and Micah Richards after disregarding the Africa Cup of Nations as a major tournament.
The trio were covering Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Manchester City on Sky Sports when the topic of conversation turned to Mohamed Salah.
Debating whether or not he could win any individual awards – such as the Ballon d’Or – and become “the best in the world” this season, Carragher suggested there was one obstacle stopping him.
The ex-defender claimed that Salah would have to win a major tournament with Egypt in order to be in the running.
He said: “I think the problem (is) the fact he’s with Egypt, and he’s probably not playing in the major tournament as such, or maybe got a great chance of winning, I think it’s either the Champions League or the major tournament.
“Normally, the player who excels in that, like Vini Jr and (Kylian) Mbappe right now, Real Madrid looking really good going for the Champions League.
“Liverpool will be in that conversation, but right now (Real Madrid) are certainly the front runner.”
Richards quickly chimed in to say: “Just saying, AFCON is a major tournament. Just so you know.”
But Carragher responded: “Egypt aren’t going to win the World Cup, are they?”
Richards reiterated his point, but the ex-Liverpool man appeared to disregard it before Sturridge joined in the conversation.
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“It’s a fact. It’s a fact. If you win the Euros or the Copa America it’s deemed to be big so the AFCON is the same level,” the ex-striker said.
Carragher also received some backlash on social media, with one person writing: “The disrespect AFCON gets within pundits and even fans is disgusting. Equivalent of Euro/Copa America and these people are treating it like it’s the Carabao Cup. Nasty work from Jamie Carragher!”
Another commented: “It’s the scoff, for me, when he is corrected. It’s just awful.”
A third said: “I like the way both Daniel Sturridge & Micah Richards correct Carragher here. They don’t hesitate to provide him with the correct information.”
SunSport has contacted Sky for comment.
Salah scored the opening goal as Liverpool beat Man City 2-0 at the Etihad Stadium.
Dominik Szoboszlai netted the second to secure the win and boost the club’s title hopes.
A MAJOR alert was issued to road users this morning as the Dublin Tunnel was force to close due to “technical issues”.
Road bosses alerted motorists this morning warning of “delays” due to the closure.
The busy tunnel on the M50 was closed northbound and southbound this morning due to the technical problems.
It had first been closed just heading south however, was swiftly moved to a closure in both directions just after 8.30am.
Posting on X, The Dublin Tunnel account said: “Traffic Alert!
“The Dublin Tunnel South Bore is currently closed due
technical issues. Drive with care!”
Just minutes later they issued another alert stating: “The Dublin Tunnel South/ North bound is currently closed due technical issues.”
A large “expect delays” warning accompanied both updates.
Less than half an hour after the closure it was announced the tunnel had fully reopened.
It comes ahead of a planned full closure of the tunnel tonight.
The 4.5km stretch will fully close at 9.30pm.
It will reopen at 4.30am in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
Tunnel bosses said: “The Dublin Tunnel will be closed tonight, Monday. Full Tunnel Closure – 21:30 to 04:30.
“All northbound HGV & Bus traffic please route via Alfie Byrne Road.”
On top of chaos caused by the tunnel closure, the M50 is experiencing heavy congestion this morning.
On the M50 southbound there’s congestion between J12 Firhouse and J13 Dundrum.
Also southbound there will be delays between J6 M50/N3 and J9 Red Cow, with traffic sitting there too and congestion also between J5 M50/N2 and J7 M50/N4.
Northbound traffic has built up between J5 M50/N2 and J3 M1/M50.
Further delays will occur for motorists on the M50 southbound.
A breakdown at on-slip J7 was reported just after 9am.
And Transport Infrastructure Ireland have warned motorists to drive with care due to the “breakdown involving a car or motorbike.”
They warned: “When approaching the breakdown location, reduce your speed and drive with caution.
“Minor delays to your journey may occur.”
A medical emergency has caused delays on a busy service headed for Dublin this morning.
Enterprise Train, who run services between Dublin and Belfast, alerted passengers to the delays after a person onboard became ill.
The service is now 25 minutes delayed as a result.
Posting on social media Enterprise Train said: “Due to a passenger being taken ill, the 08:00 Belfast Grand Central to Dublin Connolly has been delayed at Portadown and is now 25 minutes late.
“Apologies for any inconvenience caused.“
And Irish Rail are also facing some issues this morning.
The 05.15am Westport to Heuston service was delayed this morning as was the 6.50am Connolly to Belfast service from Drogheda.
And a number of busy routes are operating at reduced capacity today.
These include:
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GEORDIE Shore star Abbie Holborn has broken her silence for the first time on her secret romance with a former TOWIE star.
Abbie, 27, has been secretly romancing Jack Rigden since the end of last year and has so far kept coy on the relationship.
Jack appeared on the ITVBe reality show for two series in 2017 but has since stepped out of the spotlight whilst Abbie has become a reality TV success story after joining the cast of MTV show Geordie Shore in 2017 where she still remains to this day.
In her first interview about her new-found love with The Sun, Abbie has confessed she is happier than ever with Jack and has even suggested she is likely to upsticks and leave the North East for good to move in with Jack in his native Essex.
Abbie told The Sun: “Things are going really good and I’m finally really happy.”
The pair first met years ago and initially started off as friends but it eventually grew into something more with Abbie admitting Jack had always “had a thing” for her.
She revealed: “So we actually met, obviously, when Sophie [Kaseai] and Jordan [Brook] got together because he’s Jordan’s best friend. So we’ve actually known each other for about two years.
“We’ve just been friends. And then it kind of at the back end of last year, really just grew into something more.
“I think I really like the fact that we’re friends first as well.
“He’s always said he’s had a bit of a soft spot for me and he would always compliment me, but I always just thought like, you know, he’s just being nice.”
Abbie laughed as she said: “We’ve always had a little bit of a flirty kind of friendship but yeah after a couple of drinks it became more and then it was just – was one of them!”
Although the pair are officially boyfriend and girlfriend, Abbie revealed there was no grand over-the-top gesture with Jack opting to keep asking the question more simple and low-key.
But for Abbie, she admitted that their connection came at the perfect time after years of bad dates as she opened up on why Jack was “the one”.
The reality TV stunner confessed: “It’s such a complex feeling. I think people say when you know that it’s the one it’s like you just feel safe.
You feel at peace.
“There’s no stress. There’s no anxiety.
“I think when you’re kind of dating, I think it’s just horrendous.
“Like I’ve always kind of hated dating and never really gone on dates.
“I think I went through a whole process of being a bit of a man hater and just thinking that all men are the same and I just did not want to go on dates and I just wasn’t bothered.
“Everyone used to always say to me because I think I did want to have a boyfriend and everyone would say it’ll happen when you least expect it.
“I used to say if one more person tells me it’s going to happen when I least expect it then I’m going to punch them clean in the face.
“I was sick to death of hearing that, it becomes all you hear and I was like I can’t bear it.
“But then actually I was like, they were right, like it really, really was unexpected.”
But whilst it is still early days for the couple, Abbie admitted that a move to live with Jack in Essex looked likely in the future.
Much of Abbie’s work is based in London and hers and Jack’s best pals Sophie and Jordan live there – making a potential relocation a no brainer.
Abbie told The Sun: “I would definitely consider [a move] in the future.
“It’s funny because even though I travel so much and I am always away from home, I’ve never actually left the nest or left my family home so it would be a big deal to eventually move.
“But I’ve got all my friends down there and work’s down there so I think it probably, you know, would be something in the future, for sure.”