Forty-seven inmates escape Liberian prison

Forty-seven inmates have escaped from a prison in central Liberia, the justice ministry said Monday, adding that it was "taking all necessary measures" to ensure their recapture.

Initial investigations showed the detainees were able to flee because of a breach in the prison's security system, the ministry said in a statement on its Facebook page.

It said it was working with the police and prison authorities to determine the exact cause of the breach.

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"Forty-seven inmates over the weekend escaped the Kakata Central Prison in Kakata, Margibi County", east of the capital Monrovia, the statement said.

"The Ministry of Justice is deeply concerned about this incident and is taking all necessary measures to ensure the capture of the escaped inmates," it added, without specifying whether any of the escapees had been caught.

The national police force has deployed additional officers to aid the search operation, the ministry said.

It called on the escaped prisoners to turn themselves in to avoid facing additional charges and warned members of the public not to come to their aid.

"We urge the public to remain calm and to report any information that may lead to the recapture of the inmates," the ministry said.

A 2023 US State Department report called prison conditions in the West African state "harsh and life-threatening due to gross overcrowding, food shortages, inadequate sanitary conditions, vermin infestation, and poor medical care that led to disease outbreaks".