Hamburg, July 15, (dpa/GNA) – A reported sighting of a cobra, triggered a major fire service operation in northern Germany on Wednesday.
The Schleswig-Holstein fire service said, an employee at a tree nursery in Halstenbek, near Hamburg, had reported having spotted a snake in a ditch. Based on a photograph, a snake expert from the fire service could not rule out the possibility that it was a cobra, so a large-scale operation was launched.
Around 40 firefighters conducted an extensive search of the area, also deploying drones to track down the animal from a safe distance. As a precaution, a warning was issued advising the public to avoid the affected area.
It later emerged that a son had wanted to frighten his father. Both are employees at the tree nursery, according to reports.
The father believed the AI-generated photo and alerted the fire service. It is still unclear who will cover the costs of the operation.
The deputy fire chief, Esfandiar Rastar, said he was relieved it had turned out to be a fake photo, but noted that the fire service and other emergency services could have saved themselves a lot of trouble.
The son only confessed to his actions, hours after the operation had begun. “All of us are more than annoyed about this,” Rastar said.
GNA