43 monkeys escape from a South Carolina medical lab

At least 43 monkeys escaped from a laboratory in Yemassee, S.C., where they were being held for medical trials, according to authorities. The troubling news was released Thursday, shortly after the election euphoria in the state of South Carolina.

Despite everything, police assure that there is no public health risk. The laboratory officials assure that the primates do not carry any type of infectious strain that could be harmful.

"They are not infected with any disease at all. They are harmless and a little skittish," Yemassee Police Chief Gregory Alexander said Thursday morning.

The rhesus macaque primates escaped from the Alpha Genesis facility Wednesday when a new employee failed to completely lock an enclosure, Alexander said. The monkeys are females weighing about 7 pounds and are so young and small that they had not yet been used for testing, police said.

Alpha Genesis employees "currently have their eyes on the primates and are working to lure them with food," police said in a statement issued around noon Thursday.

This is not the first time something like this has happened. In 2014, 26 monkeys escaped from the same laboratory, and in 2016, 19 others escaped.