Attempted prison escape in North Carolina leaves two dead, multiple injured
By Elizabeth Elizalde
The New York Daily News
An attempted escape from a North Carolina prison left two people dead and multiple others injured Thursday, authorities said.
The incident occurred at the Pasquotank Correctional Institute in Elizabeth City, where fires were set in the prison's sewing plant around 3:30 p.m., the North Carolina Department of Public Safety said in a tweet Thursday afternoon.
Local media reported, citing Pasquotank County Sheriff Randy Cartwright, that two employees had died following the attempted prison break. Officials didn't say whether the victims were employees or inmates.
Authorities said 14 people had been injured.
The Elizabeth City-Pasquotank Public Schools said several area schools had been placed on lockdown.
The public safety department said several employees were among the injured. The extent of their injuries was not immediately clear.
The fires have been extinguished and the prison is placed under lockdown, the department said, adding that no inmates have escaped.
Sentara Albemarle Medical Center in Elizabeth City took in nine people, hospital spokesman Peter Sengenberger said.
Five people were transported to another hospital in Norfolk, Va., the spokesman said.
“Due to an incident that is taking place at the local jail north of town, Northside Elementary, Elizabeth City Middle School and Pasquotank County High School have been placed on lock down at the advice of Emergency
Management,” the district said in a Facebook post.
The district had later lifted the lockdown, and students were allowed to go home.
The high-security all male prison holds 896 inmates, and has a staff size of 410 employees, according to the prison's website. However, the Department of Public Safety said it houses 729.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nati...icle-1.3558864
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