1 killed, 12 escape in Sulu prison break

ZAMBOANGA CITY – Twelve inmates escaped and another was shot dead in a jailbreak in Sulu the other day, police said.

The group escaped from the Sulu provincial jail through a tunnel they had dug and concealed using a prayer rug and reading materials, police said.

One of the 13 inmates was killed as he was crawling out of the tunnel on the other side of the wall, the report said.

Police did not say what the inmates used to dig the tunnel and why their activities did not arouse suspicion.

Senior Superintendent Julasirim Kasim, Sulu police director, said those who escaped were being held pending trial for various crimes, although none of them are known to be Abu Sayyaf members.    – Roel Pareño