Inmate escapes French prison in cellmate’s laundry bag
Close-up on the prison administration badge of a guard taken on February 4, 2010 at the Lyon-Corbas remand center in Lyon. (Photo by JEAN-PHILIPPE KSIAZEK-/AFP via Getty Images)
LYON, France - An inmate was able to escape from a prison in France by hiding in the laundry bag of his cellmate, who was freed, French media reported.
The news outlet, BFMTV, said prison officials noticed the prisoner was gone over the weekend and is said to still be on the loose.
According to the outlet, it took the prison staff 24 hours to notice that the inmate had escaped, partly due to overcrowding at the facility.
What we know:
Authorities said the 20-year-old inmate was being investigated for multiple crimes, including suspected ties to organized crime.
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What we don't know:
The inmate's identity has not been released.
What they're saying:
The director of prison administration, Sébastien Cauwel, told the outlet and acknowledged an "accumulation of errors."
"This is an extremely rare event that we have never experienced in this administration and which clearly reveals a whole series of serious dysfunctions," he said.
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What's next:
Cauwel said an internal investigation is underway as to how the inmate was able to escape.
"I immediately requested an internal investigation," he told BFMTV. "The Minister of Justice has ordered an inspection by the General Inspectorate of Justice," he added.
Dig deeper:
"This facility has an occupancy rate of 170%. This clearly makes working conditions more difficult for our staff," Cauwel said regarding overcrowding.
"What this incident reveals is rather an accumulation of material errors, possibly faults, which the investigation will bring to light," he added.
The Source: The information in this story comes from French news outlet BFMTV, which reported on the prison escape and quoted Sébastien Cauwel, the director of prison administration. This story was reported from Los Angeles.