174 inmates escape from Haitian prison, kill guard

Most inmates of a northern Haitian prison escaped on Saturday after killing a guard and stealing firearms, officials said.

Judge Henry Claude Louis-Jean said the prison break occurred in Arcahaie, a coastal town about 50 km north of Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince. The Haitian authorities immediately sued a manhunt for the 174 fugitives with support from U.N. peacekeepers.

Police set up checkpoints on roads leading from the prison and detained several people without identity cards, a Reuters witness said. However, the 266 inmates of Arcahaie prison do not wear uniforms, making it easier for escapees to mingle outside.

Eleven inmates were caught during the break, which happened during a period when some were bathing, officials said. The inmates broke into an area used by the guards, stealing at least five rifles among other weapons. One guard was shot dead.

The inmates attacked after they were released from a crammed holding pen to bathe, according to provincial authorities.

Haitian prisons are notoriously overcrowded and many inmates spend years in pre-trial detention. It wasn’t immediately clear how many of the escaped inmates in Arcahaie were convicted of serious crimes and how many were awaiting trial.

Haiti's Minister Of Justice, Camille Edouard Junior, said one prisoner died after falling off a wall and hitting his head during the escape from.

“One guard was killed during the incident,” Edouard Junior told Reuters. “Three prisoner were wounded, including one who died as a consequence of his wounds.”

In the aftermath of the escape, the guard's bloodied body lay at the prison and discarded sandals were scattered on the ground.

The U.S. embassy in Haiti issued a security message about "a violent prison break in Arcahaie," and advised its citizens to avoid the area.

The prison break comes just weeks after Haiti was devastated by Hurricane Matthew which left hundreds dead and thousands homeless.