Buimo prison escapees still at large in PNG

4:04 pm on 27 January 2020

Sixteen inmates who escaped from Papua New Guinea's Buimo prison a week ago are still at large.

Reception area at Buimo Jail in Lae, PNG.

Reception area at Buimo Jail Photo: Human Rights Watch

Police are urging the general public to report any sighting of the prisoners who escaped from the prison in Morobe Province last Sunday morning.

Two people - a guard and a prisoner - were killed during the mass breakout.

Lae's acting Metropolitan Police Commander Superintendent, Chris Kunyanban, said police investigations into the escape were continuing.

According to him, information on the whereabouts of the inmates was still sketchy.

But Superintendent Kunyanban said police would not rest until the escapees were back behind bars.

The escapees are considered dangerous, with most convicted for offences such as rape, murder and armed robbery.

Superintendent Kunyanban said a more detailed brief on the escapees would soon be put out for public notice so that people could come forward if and when they see them.

The 17 who escaped on Sunday morning were among 32 prisoners sent out to a part of the prison to see their families at visiting hour.

However, they ran into the bushes, removed their prison uniforms and fled towards Lae's 2 and 3-Mile suburbs.