Bruges prison went into crisis mode on Tuesday after signalling that two of its prisoners had escaped. However, after a head count, all prisoners were found to be in their cells.
Prison authorities are now scratching their heads over the false alarm, which was raised after a member of the public alerted the authorities to having spotted two people scaling the prison wall. According to the witness, the two escapees allegedly jumped the fence before running away on foot.
This tip-off is now believed to be false, as all 850 prisoners were present and accounted for, according to Het Nieuwsblad. Police appear confused by the incident.
After receiving the phone call, a spokesperson for the police confirmed that an escape had occurred, without providing more details. The police announced that "everyone had been warned" and that "a real manhunt is taking place." Large numbers of officers were deployed to locate the two imaginary suspects.
Despite the headcount, police are still investigating whether any escape indeed occurred.
