3 convicts attempting to escape from Hatay Prison died

HATAY

As some convicts in Hatay Prison attempted to escape by setting a fire after the major earthquakes, three prisoners lost their lives during the incident.

Some convicts in Hatay T Type Closed Penitentiary Institution attempted to escape by starting a fire, the Justice Ministry’s General Directorate of Prisons and Detention Houses announced, stating that necessary intervention was made within the framework of the legislation.

It was stated that 12 prisoners were injured in the incidents, and three of the injured people lost their lives at the hospital.

“As the prison in Hatay was severely damaged by the convicts during the incident, they were transferred to other penitentiary institutions,” the directorate stated.

“Allegations of sexual abuse against female convicts in the penitentiary institution and other baseless accusations are completely untrue,” it noted.

The magnitude 7.7 quake struck seven kilometers (4.3 miles) below the surface in Kahramanmaraş’s Pazarcık district on Feb. 6 at 4:17 a.m., according to the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD).

The earthquake also rocked the neighboring provinces of Hatay, Adıyaman, Gaziantep, Şanlıurfa, Diyarbakır, Adana, Malatya, Osmaniye and Kilis and neighboring countries, including Syria and Lebanon.

Another 7.6 magnitude earthquake followed the first one, which also jolted southern Türkiye. Over 11,000 aftershocks were experienced in the region, AFAD announced.