Forty prisoners break from jail in Liberia

MONROVIA, April 17

Forty prisoners described as hardcore broke out of a Liberian jail on Friday and some may be heading for neighbouring Ivory Coast, a Liberian official said.

Nine of the prisoners have been recaptured but the rest remain at large and are a danger to the public after escaping from the prison in Zwedru, some 300 miles (482 km) east of the capital Monrovia and close to the Ivorian border, he added.

"Forty inmates, very hardcore criminals, broke jail from the correction center in Zwedru, Grand Gedeh county," said provincial governor Christopher Bailey. "These are hardened criminals who are capable of causing havoc anywhere."

Last year around 100 prisoners escaped from high-security South Beach jail in Monrovia after overpowering guards, including policemen and personnel from the United Nations mission in the country, with stones and bottles.

Bailey said inadequate security measures contributed to Friday's jailbreak.

"The locks to the gates are substandard and cheap. I think some of these led to the prisoners breaking jail."

(Reuters)