A jet of the Australian national carrier Qantas was forced to stay on ground after rats were found in a cabin compartment on board.

According to local media reports, the flight attendants found five rats in the cabin of a Boeing 767 flying from Sydney to Brisbane yesterday, minutes before passengers were due to board.

Calling it a “rare occurrence,” the airline said the passengers were put on another plane while the rats were disposed of.

Qantas is unsure of how the rats got on board.

“We still don’t know how they got on board but it is obviously not a common occurrence,” a Qantas spokesperson said.

Engineers who inspected the plane today have found that no damage had been caused to the plane’s wiring system.

“We are currently investigating how they got into the aircraft,” the spokesperson said.

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