Close to 1,000 Escape in Congolese Prison Breakout

An official says two people were killed during a massive jailbreak by nearly 970 prisoners in southeastern Congo.

Dikanga Kazadi, the information minister of Katanga province, says eight armed men attacked the prison guards in Lumumbashi on Wednesday, allowing the prisoners to flee. He says police have recaptured 152 of the 967 escaped prisoners. He says the armed men were trying to free a militant who was condemned to death.

Kazadi said that the two dead included a police officer and a young man who was visiting his detained brother.

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