Police Recapture 11 Escapees After Madagascar Prison Break

A day after a breakout which culminated in a deadly shootout, Madagascar police have recaptured 11 out of 31 escaped prisoners, the Justice Ministry said Monday.

20 prisoners are recorded to have died, with eight injured as Police fired at scores of inmates attempting to escape Farafanga prison on Sunday. 37 were immediately rearrested, according to the Ministry.

Security forces, including the police and the army were called in on Sunday after almost 100 prisoners turned against guards with rocks and a stolen gun.

Thirty-one managed to escape the prison, located in the southeast of the Indian Ocean island, and were still on the run late on Sunday.

The Justice Ministry in a statement on Monday said 11 of those escapees had since been caught and that one had been found dead, leaving 19 to account for.

“Forty-eight inmates have been captured (in total) so far and another death has been recorded, bringing the number of fatalities to 21,” the Ministry said.

The Ministry said the weapon had been retrieved, vowing to beef up security measures at prisons across the country.

Mass prison escapes are not uncommon in Madagascar. In 2016, around 40 detainees broke out from a high-security prison in Toliary in southern Madagascar.