Nine inmates escape after gang rams vehicles into Mexican prison

1 December 2021, 22:24

Mexico Prison Break
Mexico Prison Break. Picture: PA

Authorities in the state of Hidalgo said the pre-dawn attack resulted in gunshot wounds to two police officers.

A gang has rammed several vehicles into a prison in central Mexico and escaped with nine inmates in one of the most dramatic breakouts the country has seen in recent years.

Authorities in the state of Hidalgo, north of Mexico City, said the massive pre-dawn attack resulted in non-life threatening gunshot wounds to two police officers.

“It was gunfire that lasted for almost an hour,” said Tula resident Sergio Mesa, who was woken by the sound of explosions or detonations at around 4am.

State police said soldiers, police and National Guard troops had fanned out looking for the escaped inmates.

Police did not identify the armed gang involved in the prison break, but suggested one may be a gang leader.

The state’s interior secretary, Simon Vargas, said: “An armed group burst into the prison aboard several vehicles, and it is worth noting that near the prison, two vehicles were burned as part of the criminal group’s operation, as a distraction.”

Mexico Prison Break
Forensic investigators check a burned-out car (Ginnette Riquelme/AP)

Local media reported that the burned-out cars found in the city of Tula after the attack were car bombs. Authorities said they were investigating how the vehicles caught fire.

However, the condition of the two vehicles — parts were blown dozens of yards away, and the floor of one car appeared to have been punched through by a blast — suggested it was more than merely a fire.

The use of car bombs by gangs in Mexico has been extremely rare, with one attack in the northern border city of Ciudad Juarez in 2010 killing three people.

Gangs in Mexico frequently torch vehicles to distract police, and vehicles set alight can explode once the flames reach their fuel tanks.

Tula is home to a large oil refinery and the area has been plagued by gangs of thieves who drill illegal taps into government-owned pipelines to extract petrol and diesel.

It was unclear if any fuel thieves were among the escaped inmates. Authorities said the escapees had faced charges of homicide and kidnapping, among others.

State prosecutor Alejandro Habib said a large number of people took part in the apparently highly planned attack.

Mexico has seen some spectacular prison escapes in the past.

In 2015, imprisoned drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman escaped through a mile-long tunnel on a specially modified motorcycle that ran on steel rails.

He was later recaptured, extradited and is serving a prison term in the US.

In 2012, more than 130 inmates escaped a border town prison in Piedras Negras through a tunnel.

In 2010 in the northern border state of Tamaulipas, 141 inmates got out through a prison service entrance used by vehicles, presumably with the assistance of staff.

By Press Association

Latest World News

See more Latest World News

People-Ariana Grande

Ariana Grande and Dalton Gomez divorce after nearly three years

Japan Economy

Japanese central bank raises interest rate for first time in 17 years

Australia Cyber Safety

Google, Meta and others face questions in Australia over cyber extremism threats

United Nations Nuclear Weapons

US and Japan seek UN resolution banning nuclear weapons in outer space

Election 2024 Trump

‘Impossible’ for Trump to post civil fraud bond of £356m, say lawyers

Georgia Election Indictment Lawmakers

Trump seeks to appeal against decision not to disqualify DA in Georgia case

Mike Lynch court case

Fallen tech star Mike Lynch painted as fraud mastermind in Hewlett-Packard trial

Russia Crimea

Putin extends rule in Russian election after harshest crackdown since Soviet era

Vacationing Mom Toddler Death

Ohio woman given life after child died when she left her alone to go on holiday

Transgender Athletes Ban New York Caitlyn Jenner

Caitlyn Jenner backs New York county’s ban on transgender female athletes

A Mayor Eric Adams standing on a stage in front of an audience engaging them with a speech

New York mayor Eric Adams accused of sexually assaulting woman in 1993

Biden Netanyahu

Netanyahu agrees to send officials to US to discuss prospective Rafah operation

Palestinians rush to collect the humanitarian aid airdropped into Gaza City, Gaza Strip on March 17 (Mohammed Hajjar/AP)

‘Famine imminent’ in northern Gaza as 70% face ‘catastrophic hunger’

Music-Country Hall of Fame

James Burton, John Anderson and Toby Keith join Country Music Hall of Fame

Russia Election

What the Russian election reveals about Putin’s rule

Obit-Stafford

Astronaut Thomas Stafford, commander of Apollo 10, dies aged 93