By IANS
Lima : All 18 inmates of a prison in northwestern Peru have escaped after overpowering and gagging the only guard on duty, the police have said.
The jailbreak occurred in Ayabaca, some 1,050 km north of capital Lima, last weekend when guard Guillermo Espejo went into the yard to tell the inmates to return to their cells and was overpowered by a group of prisoners, Spain’s EFE news agency reported Wednesday.
The guard was gagged and tied up, and inmates used his keys to leave through the front door of the prison.
It is still not known why other guards at the prison, which was opened in January 2006 and can house 80 inmates, were not at their posts when the incident occurred.
The police in Sullana province have launched a manhunt for the prisoners who have been serving jail terms for offences like murder, kidnapping and illegal possession of arms.
Jailbreak is pretty common in Peru and authorities, as part of prison reform now under study, are looking at the possibility of privatising the prison system.