Egypt Troops Quell Creeping Invasion

CAIRO —  Egyptian army units using chemical weapons have quelled an invasion of poisonous snakes and scorpions in the historic town of Abu Simbel in southern Egypt.

The creatures crawled out of their holes as the water level of the nearby Nasser reservoir rose five feet in the past three months.

Abu Simbel is the site of 22 Pharaonic temples and two huge statues of Ramses II and his wife. Thousands of tourists visit the 3,200-year-old archeological site each year.

The local military chief called on Defense Minister Abdel-Halim abu Ghazala for help, prompting soldiers from the chemical warfare unit to mount a 10-day extermination campaign.

During the cleanup, rare poisonous snakes were transported to a research center in Cairo to develop a snake bite serum.