Some 250 prisoners and 25 employees of a Quebec City prison have been ill since last night with what the director of Public Health is calling food poisoning.

CBC News reports a dishwasher at the prison, in the Charlesbourg borough of Quebec City, may be the cause. The hot steam cycle of the machine, which sterilizes the dishes, had stopped working.

The dishwasher was reportedly installed four weeks ago.

The kitchen has been closed, and prisoners and personnel still at the detention centre were fed a catered lunch today.