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AP

HANOI, Vietnam --
A fugitive mouse delayed the departure of a Japan-bound airliner for
more than four hours Sunday as technicians hunted down the potential
threat, airline officials said.

A passenger spotted the white mouse running on the floor of the
plane
on an initial leg of the Vietnam Airlines flight, prompting a hunt
by
about a dozen technicians worried that it could chew through a vital
wire.

The mouse was found in a food storage area and the Boeing 777 was
cleared for takeoff, said Tran Tien Dung, head of the airline's air
safety department.

"This is the first time we experienced something like this," airline
spokesman Nguyen Chan said.

Chan said Vietnamese aviation authorities suspect that a passenger
brought the mouse on board in hand luggage.

Dung said the airline will caution passengers and increase baggage
checks to make sure that no live animals are brought on board.

The mouse was killed, Dung said.