85 prisoners escape from Mexico jail

Mexico City, Sep 11 (IANS/EFE) Eighty-five prisoners escaped from a jail in Mexico’s Tamaulipas state, authorities said.

The largest prison break in the state took place Friday in the city of Reynosa, bordering Texas in the US. The inmates fled from the prison using a ladder, apparently with the collusion of two guards, state secretary-general Hugo Andres Araujo said.

Army troops have joined various law enforcement agencies in the search for the escapees.

Public safety chief Antonio Garza Garcia said 201 inmates have escaped from Tamaulipas jails so far this year.

Until now, the largest single incident was the March 25 flight of 40 prisoners from a prison in Matamoros city.

Tamaulipas has been battered this year by a turf war between Gulf drug cartel and the rival Los Zetas outfit, leaving hundreds dead. These criminal organisations are thought to be involved in the mass jailbreaks.

–IANS/EFE