An escape tunnel is a form of secret passage used as part of an escape from siege or captivity. In medieval times such tunnels were usually constructed by the builders of castles or palaces who wished to have an escape route if their domains were under attack. Prisoners have dug escape tunnels to flee captivity.
In road and rail tunnels, narrower escape tunnels are provided to enable people to escape on foot in the event of a fire or other accident. For example, between the two main bores of the Channel Tunnel is an access tunnel large enough for a fire engine.
Throughout the British Isles and much of northern Europe, escape tunnels were often part of the intrinsic designs of fortified houses and palaces. They were typically one half to two kilometers long, opening in a location not readily visible to attackers. Examples are at Muchalls Castle (Scotland) and the Bishops Palace at Exeter (England).
The following escapes were at least a partial success, with prisoners escaping via tunnels:
| Prison Location | Year | Number of Successful Escapees | Length of Tunnel | Details | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stalag Luft III, Żagań, Nazi Germany (now Poland) | 1943 | 3 | 30 m | "The Wooden Horse", Lieutenant Michael Codner, Flight Lieutenant Eric Williams, and Flight Lieutenant Oliver Philpot | |
| Stalag Luft III, Żagań, Nazi Germany (now Poland) | 1944 | 76 | 102 m | Led by Roger Bushell during World War II. The story was made into the 1963 film The Great Escape. | |
| Island Farm, Bridgend, southern Wales, UK | 1945 | 70 | 21 m | The prison held Axis prisoners of war during World War II.[1] | |
| Carandiru prison, São Paulo, Brazil. | 2001 | 100 (approx) | unreported | Moises Teixeira da Silva, a convicted robber | |
| Dugaluft, Frankfurt, Germany | 1941 | 1 | unknown | Peter Butterworth was an English comic actor. | |
| Kırşehir, Turkey | 1988 | 18 | 118 m | Turkish & Kurdish political prisoners (Bektas Karakaya, Hasan H. Yildirim, Cumali Çataltepe, Selman Altinoz, Adem Kutuk, Sait Keles) | |
| Miguel Castro Prison, Lima, Peru | 1990 | 39 to 48 | 200 m | Victor Polay and Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement members.[2] | |
| Vellore Fort, India | 1995 | 43 | 47 m | Tamil Tiger inmates. | |
| Yemen | 2006 | 23 | TODO | Inmates of Political Security Organization, including convicted mastermind of the USS Cole Bombing Jamal al-Badawi. | |
| Burail, India | 1998 | 3 | TODO | Escapees: Jagtar Singh Hawara, Jagtar Singh Tara, Paramjit Singh Beora | |
| Sarposa Prison, Kandahar, Afghanistan | 2011 | 476 | 320 m | All but one were Taliban members.[3] | |
| Penal del Altiplano, Almoloya de Juarez, State of Mexico | 2015 | 1 | 1500 m[4] | Escapee: Mexican drug lord Joaquín Guzmán Loera, "El Chapo Guzmán", who originally was captured in 1993 in Guatemala and escaped from a Mexican federal maximum-security prison in 2001.[5] He was rearrested by Mexican authorities on 22 February 2014 in Mazatlán, Sinaloa, México, but escaped on July 11, 2015. |