Footage shows a large rat scurrying around the dining area of a shopping centre, much to the horror of shoppers
A KFC outlet and other restaurants have been closed by health officials after a rat was caught on camera causing panic in a food court as it scavenged for scraps.
The footage shows a large rat scurrying across the floor of the food court in a shopping centre in the Peruvian capital of Lima, with KFC visible in the background.
Diners are seen fleeing in terror and heard letting out loud shrieks as the disease-carrying rodent runs across the ground where people are eating.
One man, thought to be a member of the shopping mall's security team, stands over the rat gripping a handheld radio, while another tries - and fails - to stamp on it.
Eyewitness Thomas Casares Orozco, 24, said: "I was eating with my girlfriend when she screamed and jumped up pointing out the rat, then everyone started running for it scattering food everywhere.
"One rat tried to grab a chicken leg but when a security guard turned up it tried to run off.
"There was chaos as people made off or climbed onto chairs and tables. I saw one bloke stamp on a rat but it didn't seem to stop it - it ran under a flower box and I didn't see it again."
The footage, filmed in the Plaza Norte shopping centre which covers 200,000 square meters, has gone went viral, amassing thousands of views on YouTube.
One viewer wrote: "It is disgusting. I would not eat in that place ever."
The video was shared on Facebook by Julianna Cad, who said: "There were actually two rats, but I only managed to record one of them."
Peruvian authorities confirmed they had ordered the closure of the restaurants.
Ministry of Health spokesman Jose Miguel Garcia said: "We have ordered the closure of all the food restaurants in the Plaza Norte and it has been fined.
"The unsanitary conditions could be a risk for human health."
The closure is temporary until the company eradicates its rat problem.
A KFC outlet and other restaurants have been closed by health officials after a rat was caught on camera causing panic in a food court as it scavenged for scraps.
The footage shows a large rat scurrying across the floor of the food court in a shopping centre in the Peruvian capital of Lima, with KFC visible in the background.
Diners are seen fleeing in terror and heard letting out loud shrieks as the disease-carrying rodent runs across the ground where people are eating.
One man, thought to be a member of the shopping mall's security team, stands over the rat gripping a handheld radio, while another tries - and fails - to stamp on it.
Eyewitness Thomas Casares Orozco, 24, said: "I was eating with my girlfriend when she screamed and jumped up pointing out the rat, then everyone started running for it scattering food everywhere.
"One rat tried to grab a chicken leg but when a security guard turned up it tried to run off.
"There was chaos as people made off or climbed onto chairs and tables. I saw one bloke stamp on a rat but it didn't seem to stop it - it ran under a flower box and I didn't see it again."
The footage, filmed in the Plaza Norte shopping centre which covers 200,000 square meters, has gone went viral, amassing thousands of views on YouTube.
One viewer wrote: "It is disgusting. I would not eat in that place ever."
The video was shared on Facebook by Julianna Cad, who said: "There were actually two rats, but I only managed to record one of them."
Peruvian authorities confirmed they had ordered the closure of the restaurants.
Ministry of Health spokesman Jose Miguel Garcia said: "We have ordered the closure of all the food restaurants in the Plaza Norte and it has been fined.
"The unsanitary conditions could be a risk for human health."
The closure is temporary until the company eradicates its rat problem.
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