Almost 100 inmates from jailbreak still at large
MANILA: Nearly 100 inmates who escaped a week ago during the Philippines’ biggest jailbreak remain on the run with some being protected by rebels or bandits, authorities said on Wednesday.
One guard was killed as dozens of gunmen raided a dilapidated jail in the strifetorn south of the country, with murderers and rapists among the 158 prisoners who took advantage of the chaos to escape. Authorities said they had carried out an extensive manhunt in vast farmlands and isolated villages surrounding Kidapawan city where the jailbreak took place, which netted 51 of the escapees and killed 10 others.
However 97 remained on the run, provincial police chief Senior Superintendent Emmanuel Peralta said on Wednesday. He said some inmates may have taken refuge in camps of various armed groups that are based in the region.
The area where the jailbreak took place, about 900 kilometres south of Manila, has a mixed population. Von al Haq, military spokesman of the largest rebel group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), denied to AFP last Thursday it was involved in the jailbreak or that it was sheltering any of the inmates. SURAT THANI: Heavy rain responsible for floods across southern Thailand eased on Wednesday, leaving residents to pick through damaged homes and ruined fields wrought by the 10-day deluge.
Record downpours have submerged vast swathes of Thailand’s agricultural south since the beginning of the month, leaving at least 31 dead and affecting 1.1 million people.
The unseasonal weather has also struck popular beach destinations during Thailand’s peak tourist period, sparking travel chaos with flights, railways and roads disrupted.
While much of the south remains under water, sunshine finally broke through raising hopes of an end to days of misery.
“There is no heavy downpour expected,” Surangkana Jongsawat, the chief of Thailand’s weather department, said.
“The worst is over, now we have to wait for current flood waters to recede,” she added.
Officials are now focused on delivering aid and rebuilding wrecked infrastructure.
Flash floods across the region have left considerable destruction in their wake, knocking down bridges and gouging hundreds of roads.
Muddy floodwaters have also inundated rubber and palm oil plantations and are likely to leave farmers with significant losses.
The total cost of the damage is still being calculated, officials said.
Meanwhile, soldiers have been mobilised to deliver relief by boat and helicopter to swamped villages where the waters have reached roof-high levels in some areas.
“Our first priority is life,” Charoen Watanasrimongkol, a Royal Thai Air Force captain organising airborne relief missions in Surat Thani province, said.
“The current is strong so we need safety equipment to get people to hospital,” he said, adding that authorities are focusing on reconstruction now that the rains have eased.