ULAN BATOR, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- Police recently seized a total of 270 dead marmots from a vehicle, which could have spread the deadly bubonic plague, Mongolian National Police Agency (NPA) said Monday.
The dead marmots were found last week in a vehicle heading to the capital city of Ulan Bator from the western Mongolian province of Khovd, the NPA said in a statement.
The case is under investigation, it added.
A couple died of bubonic plague in the western Mongolian province of Bayan-Ulgii in late April after eating raw marmot meat.
Since then, the Asian country has been intensifying efforts to prevent bubonic plague.
The plague is a bacterial disease that is spread by fleas living on wild rodents such as marmots. The disease can kill an adult in less than 24 hours if not treated in time, according to the World Health Organization.
