Pretoria - KwaZulu-Natal police have launched a massive manhunt for the eight men who escaped from the Durban Westville Correctional Centre yesterday.
According to KwaZulu-Natal Correctional Services Regional Commissioner Mnikelwa Nxele, the men cut through the bars using steel objects and made a rope out of bed sheets to slide down and escape from the prison grounds.
"We are working around the clock with the police to trace their whereabouts," Nxele told BuaNews.
The men were arrested for various offences ranging from rape, murder and armed robberies - making them, extremely dangerous, warned Nxele.
Nxele said a ninth suspect was rearrested on the prison grounds after sustaining injuries while trying to escape with the rest of the group.
"We are not ruling out the possibility that they could have been assisted by some of our officials, we are still investigating," Nxele said.
He warned that those found to have aided the escapees will face the full might of the law.
