An invasion of field mice has forced Australian authorities to begin evacuating hundreds of prisoners and staff from a prison in the state of New South Wales, AFP reported.
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The mice bit through cables and caused damage to the ceilings of the premises in Wellington Prison, located in an agricultural area in the state.
“The health, safety and well-being of staff and detainees are our top priority, so it is important to act as quickly as possible and repair the damage,” New South Wales prison chief Peter Severin told the media.
By the end of the month, 420 prisoners and 200 staff will be transferred to other places of detention.
“We want to carry out all the repair work at once so that we do not fall victim to such invasions again,” explained Kevin Corcoran, deputy head of the prison administration.
In the last few months, eastern Australia has been the victim of an invasion of mice that are destroying crops and homes. this is another disaster for farmers in Australia, who after several years of drought fell victim to devastating forest fires in late 2019 and subsequent floods.
The mouse plague appeared in October last year due to the extremely rich harvest of cereals after the worst drought in history.
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