20 Inmates Escape From Guatemala Prison
By Rodrigo Abd
Associated Press Writer
Guatemala City (AP) - At least 20 Guatemalan inmates considered to be extremely dangerous escaped from a high-security prison through a tunnel Saturday, authorities said.
Those escaping included convicts accused of kidnapping, murder, and rape, Interior Secretary Minister Carlos Vielman said.
It was the latest embarrassment for the Guatemalan prison system, following deadly riots at other facilities that left 35 people dead.
The escape took place in a prison known as "Little Hell'', 50 miles south of Guatemala City.
The prisoners dug the 390-feet long tunnel, which Vielman said probably took several months to finish. It was unclear how the prisoners hid the dirt taken from the tunnel, which was ventilated with a fan. The tunnel opening outside the prison was hidden in a corn field.
The prison's director and several guards were detained under suspicion they helped in the escape. Francisco de la Pena, the director of Guatemala's prison system, was also fired.
Officials offered a $6,500 reward for information leading to the capture of the escaped prisoners.
The prisoners left several messages for officials, including one that read: "They gave us only an hour for visits, and that's why I left, because I never could hug my children."
Another complained about 50- to 100-year sentences, while the last said: "My wife left me for another man and I escaped to see if God will give me a chance to take back my family."
In 2001, 78 other prisoners staged an escape from the same prison that left two people dead.
