A daring prison escape was averted in Kerkyra on Saturday thanks to a dog, after it located a 15-meter long tunnel that was being dug out by a number of prisoners.
Media reports note that the canine located the tunnel about five meters beyond the prison facility walls during a walk on Saturday and began barking incessantly. The barking drew the attention of a prison officer, who rushed to the dog and noticed that there was noise coming from the ground.
The officer immediately sounded the prison alarm and contacted the local police department. An inspection was carried out in the prison cells, with the authorities discovering a number of improvised digging tools.The Minister of Justice Nikos Paraskevopoulos announced that a thorough investigation will be carried out.
Mass escape in 1996
About 19 years ago, in 1996, a total of 44 convicts managed to escape from the prison facility in Kerkyra, after coming across an old tunnel that had be constructed by the English, during the time when the occupied the Ionian Islands. The group of convicts took advantage of a long-term prisoner revolt at the time and cleared out the tunnel for about ten days.
Ultimately, after a combined operation of Police, Coast Guard and counter-terrorism units, the escaped convicts were eventually located and apprehended.
