Inmates die tunnelling out

2003-11-10 23:33

Sao Paulo, Brazil - Eight prisoners died in a collapsed tunnel while 32 others were still at large after one of the most daring escape attempts in recent memory from the sprawling Sao Paulo State Penitentiary.

"The numbers we have now show 87 prisoners attempted to escape through a tunnel during visiting hours on Sunday afternoon," spokesperson Cida Goncalves.

She said eight died in the attempt when the tunnel collapsed and 47 have been recaptured so far. "Those numbers may still change as more are recaptured and excavation work continues in the area of the collapsed tunnel," she said.

Guards at the prison, located in an area of working class homes and small businesses, said the tunnel was apparently dug by accomplices from somewhere outside the prison walls. They said it connected a local sewer system to the inside of the prison complex.

In some places, the 120m tunnel was shored up by cement blocks and included drains and a makeshift ventilation system.

Police were tipped off to the escape attempt when local residents saw mud- and sewage-soaked prisoners crawling, one after the other, out of a manhole in the middle of a main avenue.

Police captured 29 of the would-be escapees as they emerged from manholes before the tunnel collapsed. Another 15 were captured as they wandered around local streets or sought refuge in homes. Goncalves said police confiscated 21 cellphones and a revolver from the 44 recaptured convicts.

Police said the escapees were easy to identify because of caked mud and sewage on their clothing.

Police and firemen used a backhoe and other heavy equipment through the night in efforts to locate survivors in the collapsed tunnel.

In a statement, prisons director Nagashi Furukawa said it was "unlikely" the escape attempt was related to recent incidents of violence against police and prison authorities by an organised crime group known as the First Capital Command.

- AP