Inmates escape jail in typhoon-hit Philippine city


Save Story

Estimated read time: Less than a minute

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

TACLOBAN, Philippines (AP) - A Philippine general says that inmates have escaped from a provincial jail in the typhoon-hit city of Tacloban after breaking down a jail wall.

Army Brig. Gen. Virgilio Espineli, the deputy regional military commander, said Tuesday that guards fired shots to try to stop the prisoners from fleeing, and some returned. He didn't have a clear number for those who escaped.

"Where will they go? What will they eat?" Espineli said.

The jail held about 600 prisoners.

He says the military was trying to help the public while also dealing with its own problems, such as the destruction of buildings that housed 1,000 soldiers stationed in Leyte province.

(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Most recent World stories

Related topics

KSL.com Beyond Business
KSL.com Beyond Series

KSL Weather Forecast

KSL Weather Forecast
Play button