India, Oct. 29 -- A truck transporting Rhesus monkeys used for animal testing overturned Tuesday afternoon on Interstate 59 near mile marker 117, just north of Heidelberg, Mississippi.

According to local news station WFSB, the vehicle was en route from Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana, to a testing facility in Florida when it crashed.

Following the crash, the Jasper County Sheriff's Office issued an initial statement on Facebook claiming the monkeys were potentially carrying hepatitis C, herpes, and COVID-19, warning the public not to approach the animals.

"On 10/28/25 a wreck occurred on I59 near mile marker 117. This was a truck carrying Rehsus monkeys from Tulane University. The monkeys are approximately 40lbs, they are a...