Electrocuted slug blamed for Japanese rail shutdown

A slug, before electrocution.
A slug, before electrocution. Photo credit: Getty

A slug has been blamed for causing rail chaos in Japan.

Nearly 30 trains stopped working last month on the island of Kyushu, disrupting thousands of passengers' journeys, BBC News reports.

Now the cause has been discovered - a slimy slug, Japan Railways said in a statement.

It didn't survive the ordeal, its electrocuted remains found in equipment near the tracks.

It's not the first large-scale industrial system to be foiled by an animal - the Large Hadron Collider in Europe was shut down in 2016 after a weasel got in a bit through a wire.

It too died of electrocution.

Newshub.