Police in the Philippines say that before dawn on Wednesday, more than 100 gunmen stormed the North Cotabato district jail in Kidapawan, allowing at least 150 inmates to escape. One guard was killed in the jailbreak and an inmate was wounded.
Authorities say they suspect the attack in the southern city was led by a local Muslim rebel commander, The Guardian reports. Warden Peter John Bonggat told a local television station the goal was to "rescue their comrades under our custody," and prisoners who were not part of their group took advantage of the situation and escaped. The dilapidated jail in a rural area housed 1,511 inmates, and didn't have enough guards, Bonggat said. The army and police are searching for the escaped prisoners, with local authorities reporting that up to six of them have been killed.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Today's political cartoons - April 19, 2025Cartoons Saturday's cartoons - free trade, judicial pushback, and more
-
5 educational cartoons about the Harvard pushbackCartoons Artists take on academic freedom, institutional resistance, and more
-
One-pan black chickpeas with baharat and orange recipeThe Week Recommends This one-pan dish offers bold flavours, low effort and minimum clean up
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstancesSpeed Read
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2Speed Read
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governorSpeed Read
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditionsSpeed Read
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billionSpeed Read
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on recordSpeed Read
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homesSpeed Read
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creatureSpeed Read
