Ancient, historic escape tunnel site (Baler, Aurora, Philippines)
Memorial and marker of Ermita Hill chapel and the ancient viewing point and tunnel

An escape tunnel is a form of secret passage used as part of an escape from siege or captivity. In medieval times such tunnels were usually constructed by the builders of castles or palaces who wished to have an escape route if their domains were under attack. Prisoners have dug escape tunnels to flee captivity.

In road and rail tunnels, narrower escape tunnels are provided to enable people to escape on foot in the event of a fire or other accident. For example, between the two main bores of the Channel Tunnel is an access tunnel large enough for a fire engine.

Medieval escape tunnels

Throughout the British Isles and much of northern Europe, escape tunnels were often part of the intrinsic designs of fortified houses and palaces. They were typically one half to two kilometers long, opening in a location not readily visible to attackers. Examples are at Muchalls Castle (Scotland) and the Bishops Palace at Exeter (England).

Prison escapes

Successful escapes

The following escapes were at least a partial success, with prisoners escaping via tunnels:

Successful Tunnel-Based Prison Escapes
Prison Location Year Number of Successful Escapees Length of Tunnel Details
Stalag Luft III, Żagań, Nazi Germany (now Poland) 1943 3 30 m "The Wooden Horse", Lieutenant Michael Codner, Flight Lieutenant Eric Williams, and Flight Lieutenant Oliver Philpot
Stalag Luft III, Żagań, Nazi Germany (now Poland) 1944 76 102 m Led by Roger Bushell during World War II. The story was made into the 1963 film The Great Escape.
Island Farm, Bridgend, southern Wales, UK 1945 70 21 m The prison held Axis prisoners of war during World War II.[1]
Carandiru prison, São Paulo, Brazil. 2001 100 (approx) unreported Moises Teixeira da Silva, a convicted robber
Dugaluft, Frankfurt, Germany 1941 1 unknown Peter Butterworth was an English comic actor.
Kırşehir, Turkey 1988 18 118 m Turkish & Kurdish political prisoners (Bektas Karakaya, Hasan H. Yildirim, Cumali Çataltepe, Selman Altinoz, Adem Kutuk, Sait Keles)
Miguel Castro Prison, Lima, Peru 1990 39 to 48 200 m Victor Polay and Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement members.[2]
Vellore Fort, India 1995 43 47 m Tamil Tiger inmates.
Yemen 2006 23 TODO Inmates of Political Security Organization, including convicted mastermind of the USS Cole Bombing Jamal al-Badawi.
Burail, India 1998 3 TODO Escapees: Jagtar Singh Hawara, Jagtar Singh Tara, Paramjit Singh Beora
Sarposa Prison, Kandahar, Afghanistan 2011 476 320 m All but one were Taliban members.[3]
Penal del Altiplano, Almoloya de Juarez, State of Mexico 2015 1 1500 m[4] Escapee: Mexican drug lord Joaquín Guzmán Loera,[4] "El Chapo Guzmán", who originally was captured in 1993 in Guatemala and escaped from a Mexican federal maximum-security prison in 2001.[5] He was rearrested by Mexican authorities on 22 February 2014 in Mazatlán, Sinaloa, México, but escaped on July 11, 2015.

Unsuccessful escapes

  • Prisoners at Camp Bucca, a U.S.-run prison in Iraq, completed their tunnelling but did not make their bid for freedom, with the tunnel being discovered in March 2005.[6]

Fictional escapes

See also

References

  1. ↑
  2. ↑ "Leftist Leader, 40 Other Suspects Flee Peruvian Prison by Tunnel". Associated Press.
  3. ↑ "Taliban free hundreds in brazen Afghan jailbreak". April 25, 2011 – via www.reuters.com.
  4. 1 2 Joaquin el Chapo Guzman se fuga de la carcel CNN July 12, 2015
  5. ↑ "Joaquin Guzman-Loera". U.S. Department of State.
  6. ↑ Escape tunnel found at Iraqi prison CNN.com March 25, 2005
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