Six maximum-security inmates escape from Bellavista prison in Santo Domingo
Six inmates escaped in the early morning of 12 October from ward D of Bellavista prison in Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas. Police deployed ground operations and drones to locate them.
Mass escape at Bellavista: six maximum-security inmates escape through pipe duct
Six people deprived of liberty from the maximum-security ward of Bellavista prison in Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas escaped in the early morning of Monday, 12 October 2026. According to elcomercio.com, the inmates perforated a cell wall and used a pipe duct to reach the rear of the building and exit to the outside.
Lenin Peralta, acting commander of the Police in Santo Domingo, confirmed the escape. Peralta explained that the inmates broke through the wall of a cell on the second floor of ward D, accessed the pipe passage duct and opened a second opening that connected with the exterior of the facility.
The alert reached the ECU 911 system during the early hours of the morning. After inspection, officers found the two perforations and traced the escape route to the vicinity of a river near the prison. Authorities are investigating whether the fugitives used that waterway to distance themselves from the location.
Profiles of the fugitives and possible links to organised crime
The police report identifies three of the six inmates with convictions or proceedings for rape. The other three face charges for murder, robbery and possession of controlled substances, respectively. Police are also investigating possible links between the fugitives and organised crime groups, although authorities will need to confirm that information as part of the case proceedings.
Authorities are also examining how much time the inmates spent opening the openings and how they executed the plan without penitentiary staff detecting the manoeuvre.
Camera outages complicate the investigation
Police reported failures in the security cameras at the penitentiary facility, both inside and outside. This situation makes it difficult to reconstruct the movements of the inmates prior to the escape and limits the possibility of establishing with precision how they planned and executed the evasion.
Authorities are reviewing controls applied in the maximum-security ward to determine possible responsibilities.
Search operation with drones and Armed Forces
After the alert was activated, Police deployed teams across several sectors of Santo Domingo. The operations include sweeps in the surrounding areas of the prison and coordinated actions with the Armed Forces. Officers also use drones to support the search.
Authorities activated the reward plan to receive information that would allow them to locate the six inmates. The search continues whilst Police coordinate actions aimed at recapturing the fugitives.
Source: Google News DO — Santo Domingo