Police capture three men who escaped from US prison via toilet

Three more of the ten men who escaped from a prison in New Orleans have been recaptured. One of the men was arrested in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, while two others were apprehended in Texas by local authorities, according to the Louisiana State Police. Two prisoners remain at large.

The men escaped on May 16 by forcing open a defective cell door, squeezing through a hole behind a toilet, climbing over a barbed wire fence, and fleeing into the darkness.

Their absence was only noticed the next morning during a routine headcount, hours after their escape.

Many of the men were awaiting trial or sentencing for violent crimes, including murder. The escape has sparked criticism of the prison's poor maintenance, with reports indicating that funding for repairs had been requested just days before the incident.