Authorities in France were left stunned after a 20-year-old inmate escaped from a Lyon-area prison by hiding inside his cellmate’s laundry bag, right before the cellmate was released.
The daring breakout happened at Corbas prison, located near the southeastern city of Lyon. According to Sébastien Cauwel, director of France’s prison administration, the inmate “took advantage” of his cellmate’s release and managed to sneak out undetected inside a laundry bag.
The escape went unnoticed by prison staff until the next day, sparking criticism and an immediate investigation.
Authorities eventually caught up with the escapee on Monday morning in Sathonay-Camp, just outside Lyon. He was found leaving a cellar around 6 a.m., according to the local prosecutor’s office. He was arrested without incident, though the cellmate-turned-accomplice has not yet been found.
The escapee is now facing serious charges, including escape as part of an organized gang and participation in a criminal conspiracy. He had been serving multiple sentences and was also under investigation for ties to organized crime, officials said.
Cauwel admitted the incident was the result of “an accumulation of errors” and called it a “series of serious malfunctions” within the prison system. “This is an extremely rare event that we have never seen in this administration,” he said.
The Corbas prison, like many others in France, is struggling with severe overcrowding — housing about 1,200 inmates in a facility designed for just 678. Officials say this contributes to difficult working conditions for staff and increases the risk of such incidents.
