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Truck Carrying Over Three Tonnes Of 'Slime Eels' Overturns On U.S. Highway

The crash caused a reel mess.

A truck carrying over three tonnes of 'slime eels', also known as hagfish, has overturned on a U.S. highway, turning the road into the scene of an eel massacre.

While there were no casualties (apart from the slimey critters, RIP), the crash caused the stretch of road in Oregon to close as bulldozers were called in to clear away the hagfish which collectively weighed in at a whopping 3,402 kilograms.

My car may be covered in bird poo, but at least it's not hagfish slime.
Twitter / @DepoeBayFire
My car may be covered in bird poo, but at least it's not hagfish slime.
It's currently summer in the U.S., I wonder how that will smell?
@DepoeBayFire / Twitter
It's currently summer in the U.S., I wonder how that will smell?

Photos of the incident show slime enveloping the scene of the accident, which is secreted by hagfish when stressed (hence their nickname).

A witness told FOX12 that the scene was "just unbelievable".

"We were like, 'What is that?' And then you realise, 'The poor eels'," she said.

The scene of the eel massacre.
@DepoeBayFire / Twitter
The scene of the eel massacre.

"It was disgusting. I will definitely never, ever eat eel."

The accident reportedly happened when the driver of the truck was unable to stop when approaching roadworks, propelling two containers of the slime eels onto the highway.

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