At least 75 “highly dangerous” inmates — many of them members of a notorious Brazilian gang — escaped from a Paraguayan prison on Sunday through a tunnel they dug, authorities said, Eurasia Diary reports citing New York Post.
The prisoners dug an underground passage “like we see in the movies, complete with internal lighting,” police spokeswoman Elena Andrada said, according to AFP.
Officials found cells filled with as many as 200 bags of earth.
Prison brass are believed to have been aware of the jailbreak plot, which took “several weeks,” Justice Minister Cecilia Perez told reporters.
“It is evident that the staff knew nothing and did nothing,” Perez said.
The director of the penitentiary in the border city of Pedro Juan Caballero and six other prison officials were fired, Perez said.
“These are highly dangerous people,” Paraguayan Attorney General Sandra Quinonez told Monumental.
Brazilian Justice Minister Sergio Moro said he was ready to help Paraguay capture the jailbirds and was working to stop them from re-entering Brazil.
Pedro Juan Caballero, near the Brazilian border, is considered a hub for trafficking and other gang activity.