It sounds like the script of a low-budget horror movie – a community besieged by hundreds of snakes. But in Hengzhou, a southern Chinese city of some one million residents, floodwaters have brought that terrifying reality to their doorsteps.

Authorities deploy emergency teams to capture escaped reptiles and warn residents to avoid flooded areas until recovery operations are complete

Local media reported that snakes from breeding facilities were washed away and were at large in the city of Hengzhou, with some trying to enter houses.