Prisoners flee jail during church service

Eleven prisoners from Papua New Guinea's biggest jail escaped as guards were taking inmates to their weekly church service, local media reported on Thursday. The prisoners, including a convicted murderer and armed robbers, cut a hole in a wire perimeter fence of the Bomana Prison on the outskirts of the capital Port Moresby on Wednesday, said The National newspaper. "They cut through the fence and made their escape while our attention was on the prisoners' religious service," said the prison's chief superintendent, Michael Mosiri. Mosiri said three of the prisoners had been recaptured and security was being reviewed to see if any prison officers had breached prison rules. Bomana prison officers walked off the job for six hours on Tuesday in protest over a pay issue. The National newspaper ran a photograph of the front gate of the prison left open during the protest. The newspaper said the guards have threatened to shut down the prison. Prison officers told The National that the escapees may have taken advantage of the warders' protest to cut the hole in the wire fence before escaping during the religious service. Mass prison break-outs and escapes from police cells are common in the South Pacific island nation of Papua New Guinea, where prisons are run down and security is often poor.