Basilan prison break leaves 1 guard dead

ZAMBOANGA CITY – A prison guard was killed after inmates grabbed his weapon and fatally shot him before breaking out in the southern Filipino province of Basilan, officials said Wednesday.

A prison guard covers a hole at the Basilan provincial jail in Isabela City following the escape of at least 31 inmates in December 2009 in these photos from the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner.

Officials said the jail break occurred late Tuesday afternoon, but two of the seven prisoners were eventually captured the next day as police continued its massive manhunt for the other inmates.

 

One of those who escaped from the provincial jail in Isabela City is a member of the Abu Sayyaf and facing a string of criminal charges.

 

It was not the first time that prisoners escaped from the facility.

 

In December 2009, more than 100 gunmen stormed the prison and freed at least 31 hardened criminals, including Abu Sayyaf militants. The daring raid left two people dead.

 

And in July 2007, at least 16 criminals, including four Abu Sayyaf militants, also escaped from the same prison after destroying the windows of their cell. But in April 2004, at least 53 of the more than 130 prisoners at the provincial jail, including 19 Abu Sayyaf militants, escaped after overpowering their guards. (Zamboanga Post)

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