Dozens escape from jail in Comoros capital

Dozens of prisoners escaped from a prison in the Comoros capital Moroni on Thursday morning by walking out of the main gate, the public prosecutor and government said.

The escape of 38 inmates from Moroni Prison, the Indian Ocean island archipelago's largest penitentiary, was caused by the negligence of security guards, public prosecutor Ali Mohamed Djounaid told Reuters in a phone message. "The prisoners took the opportunity to escape through the normal gate," Djounaid said, adding that authorities had started an investigation into what happened.

Government spokesperson Houmed Msaidie said the escape appeared to have been pre-planned.

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