MANILA, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- Thirteen detainees escaped from a police jail in Caloocan City in the Philippine capital of Metro Manila early Thursday morning, police said.
A police report said the detainees escaped through a small hole in the wall into the streets shortly before 2 a.m. local time. A street security camera caught the fleeing prisoners.
Fifteen prisoners initially tried to escape from the detention center that houses 31 detainees, but jail guards immediately recaptured two.
The prisoners are facing criminal charges that involve possession of illegal drugs and firearms, and theft.
Police immediately launched a search to hunt the inmates.
Caloocan Police Chief Colonel Dario Menor told local media that the escapees all tested positive for COVID-19 in a rapid antibody test. A confirmatory swab test is needed, he added.
Police were investigating how the inmates managed to bore a hole in the wall without being detected. Enditem