DIYARBAKIR: All but one of the 18 Kurds who broke out of a prison by digging a 70-metre tunnel in southeastern Turkey have been caught, officials said.
The escapees, who were either convicted of, or charged with having ties to the illegal Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), escaped on Wednesday from a prison outside the city of Bingol.
The provincial governor released a statement saying 17 fugitives had been caught near the village of Ortacanak, which is a mountainous, wooded area about 16km from Bingol, after security forces launched an operation.
Earlier in the day, security officials had said all 18 escapees were captured. They later realised they had misidentified one of the men who was apprehended.
Four of the fugitives were in prison pending trial on charges of belonging to or aiding the PKK. The others were serving sentences following conviction on the same charges.
REUTERS
