Four prisoners escaped in Lower Austria

Four prisoners escaped this (Fri) morning from Hirtenberg prison in Lower Austria’s Baden district.

Two of them were caught 20 minutes after their escape, a grand scale search for the other two is being conducted by a joint effort of 80 justice officials and police staff and a helicopter from the interior ministry.

The four prisoners had apparently planned their escape for weeks, hitting a hole into the 40 cm thick wall of a remote laundry room of the prison with an iron tube.
The prisoners who were convicted for property and narcotics charges escaped through that hole that opened up onto the street.

Hirtenberg prison was built for convicts having to serve sentences between 18 months and six years thus focusing on light and medium severity crimes. The prison focuses on prison labour and reintegration.