In an outlandish turn of events, the lone survivor of a passenger flight that crashed over the Democratic Republic of Congo has blamed a stowaway crocodile for the tragedy, which killed 19 passengers and crew August 25.

According to the survivor, one passenger on the small, Let-140 plane smuggled a crocodile in a large sports bag, apparently planning to sell the reptile after landing in Bandundu. The croc broke free toward the end of the flight and, understandably, caused a panic. The passengers stampeded toward the cockpit, throwing the craft off balance and crashing it into a house just a few hundred meters from the Bandundu airport.

In a final odd blow, the crocodile survived the crash, only to have rescue workers kill it with a machete while they sorted through the wreckage.