The deadly cobra, housed in a suitable container after the episode

Residents of 16 flats in Sweden are returning to their homes after an escaped cobra was tracked down two days after escaping.

The block of flats in Sundsvall, a town 220 miles (350km) north of Stockholm, was evacuated on Wednesday after a man tripped and dropped a box containing three snakes.

The man, who was moving home, managed to catch two of the reptiles but the third, a deadly two-foot long monocled cobra, escaped.

The block was evacuated and ventilation and sanitation systems were inspected, but there was no sign of the snake.

On Friday, a snake expert was called in and the beast was found under a ventilation duct after the concrete floor of its owner's apartment was broken up.

The owners of the building, property company Mitthem, says it intends to seek compensation from the snake's owner for costs incurred by the episode.

The cobra was found after snake expert Kristian Saukkonen was called in

The company had previously asked the tenant get rid of his snakes, but could not force him to do so as he held the appropriate licences.

However, all new rental contracts issued by Mitthem include a clause barring tenants from keeping snakes as pets. The owner has also been reported to the police and may face a criminal charge of endangering others.

The snake's owner, a 24-year-old man, now intends to donate all three snakes to a more appropriate home, Swedish television reported.

The monocled cobra is native to Asia and is extremely dangerous. The snake's venom attacks the central nervous system and provokes such a strong reaction from the victim's body that the immune system actually assists the venom in breaking down organs and muscles. Death is almost instantaneous.

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